In A Year
by RozaBelikov1996
Summary: (17 Now Up!) Set in Spirit Bound after those famous four words. After Dimitri breaks Rose's heart, she decides to leave to Istanbul with Abe to get some space, and Lissa gives her a year to be over there until she returns. When she comes back, how will Dimitri react? He still loves her, but will he win her back before tragedy strikes? M for language, violence and adult situations.
1. Chapter 1: A Year It Is

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own the world of VA or any of the recognizable characters. I just own THIS Fanfic's plot. All other credit goes to the lovely Richelle Mead**

 **Edited**

 **Chapter 1: A Year It Is**

 _ **The beginning of Chapter 1 is in italics and it is taken from Spirit Bound, therefore I do NOT own it.**_

 **RPOV**

" _I've given up on you. Love fades, mine has."_

 _I stared at him in disbelief. All this time, he'd never phrased it like that. His protests had always been about some greater good, about the remorse he felt over being a monster, of how it had scarred him from love._

 _'I've given up on you. Love fades, mine has.'_

 _I backed up, the sting of those words hitting me as hard as if he'd slapped me. Something shifted in his features, like maybe he knew how much he'd hurt me. I didn't stick around to see. Instead, I pushed my way out of the aisle and ran out the doors in the back, afraid that if I stayed any longer, everyone in the church would see me cry._

 **I SPENT** the rest of the night in my room, crawled into a ball, crying my eyes out. I didn't want to leave my room, I didn't want to see anyone, or go anywhere. I had felt my heart shatter at Dimitri's words, and I wasn't sure if I could fix it or even pick up the pieces.

 _'Love fades, mine has.'_

God, it'd be easier if he'd just slapped me repeatedly. That would've hurt less. I wanted nothing more than to just stay in my room, crying until I forgot how, or didn't have anymore tears - whichever came first.

No, my mind rejected the thought. No, you are Rose Hathaway. The badass Guardian who never submits to defeat without a fight. You are not going to just lay here, acting like a victim. That is not The Hathaway way.

I figured the voice in my head was right, but I just dismissed it and continued to sob.

After everything we'd been through.. After everything I submitted to him with all my trust; I gave him my love, I gave my soul, I gave him my virtue, I gave him my heart.

After everything I'd done for him. I left my best friend who I'd sworn to protect, I dropped out of school, completely giving up on the life I worked so hard for. I went halfway around the world for him, I found a way to restore Strigoi and, in the process, broke Victor Dashkov -my sworn enemy- out of prison and turned to his crazy brother for the chance that I could save Dimitri, and yet, none of that seemed to matter to him. Only the wielding of the stake seemed to count. Only the fraction of the entire job I discovered possible done by Lissa seemed to matter to him.

The rest of the night, I got no sleep. I spent the hours crying and cursing myself for being so naïve and pushing Dimitri. I knew I shouldn't have pushed him so much and I should have given him time and space, but I couldn't help it. I loved him - I still did, admittedly, even after how much he'd hurt me - and I was so full of hope and excitement when I learned that we could restore him.. But all that came crashing down, didn't it? Now, that hope and joy left my body. I felt numb, and empty. A hollow shell of the strong, hopeful, and optimistic person I used to be. Dimitri held my heart and soul, and without him being my rock and the person who believed in me, loved me and never gave up on me, I couldn't do it. I couldn't continue life like this. I had to do something.

It was that night that I vowed to myself that I'd never, ever cry over Dimitri Belikov again.

 **THE NEXT** morning, I forced myself out of bed and fought through my inner complaints and protests of leaving my room. I had too. I was a Guardian and I had a duty to do. Well, I had come up with a solution to my problem, unfortunately, it would involve lots of convincing and pleading.

I just threw on my formal Guardian outfit of black and white, and if I succeeded my task today, this would be the last time I'd wear it while I was on Guardian duty. I tried my best to cover up the evidence of my heartbreak from yesterday, and my reaction to it that I now found pathetic and overdramatic. I washed my face and combed my hair, trying to look a little more presentable. The final result was.. Okay..? I still looked like I hadn't slept well in days, and in reality, I haven't. Though, last night was the worst. I had to put make-up on to hide the bags under my eyes.

I looked in the mirror one last time before leaving. I had only meant to glance and 'okay' my reflection, but what I saw startled me. On the outside, I looked fine. Sleep deprived, but fine. But.. I looked into the reflection of my eyes and they looked... Dead. Lifeless. They mirrored how I felt and I prayed to no one in particular, that I wouldn't run into Dimitri, because, I hated to admit, the man could read me like an open book. And it was now that I hated that more than ever.

I left my room. Using the bond, I was able to find where Lissa was and I hurried to that spot. It seemed like a local café. I had to do this, and nothing was going to stop me.

"Rose!" Lissa gasped when she saw me and rushed to my side. "Where have you been? I've been trying to contact you by phone and the.. The bond." Addressing the bond in public was still strange to her, and I didn't blame her. A year ago, our bond was secret, known by very few people. Lissa, I and... Another person who I didn't want to name right now.

"I.. I was busy. Can we talk? I have to-"

"Princess Vasilisa, Guardian Castile is-" A new voice came. I recognized it immediately and I froze and stiffened up, while Lissa's head whipped towards the direction of the voice that abruptly stopped without any interruption. Slowly, almost fearfully, my head turned to the direction of where the voice came from and my heart nearly stopped when I saw him.

Dimitri... I could feel the heartbreak I felt yesterday come back as I stared at him, and he stared at me, stunned and speechless. An emotion flashed in his eyes but it was gone before I could identify it. And like that, Dimitri recovered and his face shifted into that expression I had come to expect from him these past days as he studied me. It was one that was almost fearful, but wary and guarded at the same time. It was hard and impassive, yet it softened a bit when he looked into my eyes. I quickly tore my gaze away from Dimitri and back to Lissa, whose discomfort I could feel through the bond. She felt the tension in the air with Dimitri and I in the same room. Dammit! This was exactly what I wanted to avoid.

Finally, the silence was broken, but unfortunately, it was broken by Dimitri, whose voice was like a dagger to my heart. A reminder of yesterday and our past that seemed to mean so little to him, and that he seemed to be able to ignore so easily.

"Rose," Dimitri addressed me softly, yet warily and stiffly at the same time. I could hear a hint of sadness, and regret in his voice. What? Did he regret hurting me yesterday? Well, it was too late for that. Ignoring his tone, I simply nodded at him, brief yet rigid. "Mr. Belikov. I hope you don't mind, but I have to speak with my best friend for a few moments in private." I said, my voice emotionless. Dimitri looked a little taken aback, but the impassiveness on his face returned. "Of course," Dimitri said in a monotone voice that was barely audible. I nodded my thanks to him and took Lissa's hand in mine, then practically dragged her off to the women's bathroom, desperate to get away from Dimitri.

"Rose!" Lissa yelped when I shut the door behind us. "What is it? Why were things so.. Awkward back there? What did you do?" she asked accusingly. I looked at her indignantly. "I didn't do anything! Other than getting my heart broken. But that's not why I brought you here-"

"I saw you and Dimitri at the church, Rose. I saw you two discussing and after Dimitri said something to you, you just stormed out! What happened?" she demanded. I could see the firmness in her eyes, yet she was trying to read my face. I bit my lower lip and looked down. "That's... I..." I fumbled as my mind went back to yesterday at the church. I felt my heart break all over again and tears welled up in my eyes. No, my mind rejected the tears. I would not cry. I promised myself I wouldn't cry over Dimitri anymore; let alone in front of Lissa. I didn't want to burden her with my problems.

"That's not what we're discussing." I said evasively, blinking back tears. I could feel a twinge of hurt through the bond. Lissa saw that whatever happened, left me sad and was the reason I was fighting tears. She felt hurt that I was sad, ('sad' was a huge understatement), and that I didn't trust her to tell her what happened.

I did trust her, but I didn't want to burden her with my personal life. She was Vasilisa Dragomir, the Dragomir Princess. She had enough worries apart from me. "Liss, that's not.. It's not important-"

"It is if it's making you cry." she argued and I sighed. "Forget it. Lissa, I'm leaving." wow, Rose. Nice way to be terse.

Lissa stared at me, stunned and shocked as she processed my words. "Wh-what?" she whispered, tears welling up in her jade green eyes. I felt a pang of guilt at hurting my best friend. "I... I have to go, Lissa." I repeated and Lissa shook her head numbly. "No. You can't. Y-you.. You promised you wouldn't l-leave me a-again.."

I looked down. I did. I had promised that when I had returned from Russia, but I had to go. I couldn't stay here. "Liss... Please try to understa-"

"No! Rose, you're my best friend and you're my guardian! You can't leave me! Not again! We - we just graduated and.." words failed her, silencing her outburst. I flinched when she raised her voice at me - that was rare for kind and polite Lissa Dragomir. "Lissa, I can't stay... I.. I can't. It hurts too much.." I said brokenly and I was shocked at how... Weak my voice sounded. Lissa realized this too and she knew it must be a grave decision if I was this desperate to go.

"For... For how long?" Lissa whispered, I could feel like she was trying to stop herself from breaking down right here in front of me. "I.. I don't know. I wasn't planning on coming back.." I mumbled and her eyes widened. "You have to. If you go, you need to promise me you'll stay in touch and come back."

I bit my lip. "I... About.. Five years?" Lissa shook her head, disagreeing immediately. "That's too long, Rose. Three months?" she suggested, tears brimming in her eyes. No. That wasn't enough time. I needed time to think and to recollect myself, try to heal my shattered heart. "No.. I.. I need time."

Lissa's face grew even more pained, but she nodded. God, what did I do to deserve such a supportive best friend? No matter how upset she'd been with me over pushing and insisting on seeing Dimitri, no matter how much she scolded me over hurting him, she would always support me and be by my side when I needed it, and right now? I needed her support and compassion, but.. I couldn't accept it while I was still here. "Is... Is a year good?" she asked softly and I thought about it. A year. Twelve months. Honestly, I'd rather have it longer, but I could feel that Lissa wasn't going to agree to any longer than a year.

"Okay.. A year it is." I sighed and a few tears escaped her eyes. I felt my heart break even further, (if it was possible), at seeing her cry and I pulled my best friend into a hug. She didn't hesitate to sob on my shoulder. "Why, Rose.. W-why do y-you have to g-go? Why ca-can't I go with you?" she cried and I felt a pang in my chest. "You need to stay here.. The council needs you and you have a job to do. I promise i'll keep in touch and i'll be back on the year mark." I murmured, trying to soothe her by stroking her platinum blond hair. She cried harder but eventually, calmed down.

"One year only, o-okay?" she said shakily. I nodded, "one year. Oh and... Don't tell anyone where I'm going, okay? No one." She turned confused. "Where... Where are you going?" she asked and I bit my lip. "I don't know yet. But i'll call and tell you. No one is to know but you and me, okay?" I said seriously. Lissa nodded. "I-i'm going to miss you, Rose.." she murmured sadly and I felt pained again. "I'll miss you too, Liss.."

After the sob fest, Lissa and I walked out of the bathroom, and back to where Dimitri was. Dimitri and his guards. Honestly, I didn't want to be anywhere near him, but Lissa insisted on spending the most time I could with her before I left for... Wherever I was going.

"Ah, Princess. Are you okay?" asked Dimitri when he saw Lissa and her bloodshot eyes and tear stained cheeks. Lissa nodded, "fine. Do.. Do you know where Christian is?" she asked softly and Dimitri shook his head, not acknowledging me. "No, princess. I do not. I do believe that he is having lunch with Tasha." I tried not to scowl at her name. Tasha Ozera, the lady I almost lost Dimitri to. Either way, I did lose him so, it might've hurt less if he'd left at that time, instead of ignoring me like the plague now. Now, I was leaving, and as soon as I could.

Suddenly, I felt a buzz in my pocket. I realized it was my phone and I took it out immediately. I expected it to be a call or message about Guardian duties, but it was a text. From Abe.

 **OLD MAN:** Hey _, little girl. I just wanted to let you know that i'm leaving for Istanbul now._

I froze as I read the message. Istanbul. He was leaving for Istanbul. Slowly, an idea creeped into my mind, as I sent:

 _When?._

Soon, my father replied,

 _Now._

 _Wait. Don't go yet. Meet me at my room in fifteen.._

After I hit 'send', I turned to Lissa. "Liss.. I think i'm going now.." I whispered and I saw the pain and declinement on her face, but nonetheless, she nodded. Ignoring the curious look Dimitri shot us, I leaned in and hugged my best friend, for maybe the last time in a year. And she made sure it counted, holding on to me tightly and a little longer than normal.

One year, remember your promise. She sent through the bond. When I pulled away, tears were swimming in her eyes, and some were in mine too. I nodded and turned to Dimitri, blinking the tears back, I gave him a sharp and fierce look. "You." I addressed him, taking a few menacing steps towards him. Dimitri looked completely lost.

"Take care of her. If anything happens to Lissa, I'll come back for you, and personally make sure you regret it." I warned in a low and dangerous voice. Dimitri looked puzzled and shocked by my threat, but when he got the full meaning of my words, his eyes widened.

"Wait. Rose, what do you mean -" Before he could finish, I gave Lissa one last look that told her how much she meant to me, and rushed out of the room.

To meet my father.

" **YOU WANT** to come with me?" Abe reiterated, incredulous. I nodded, "just for a year before I have to come back." I said and Abe took time to process this. "You have everything you need?" he asked and I shrugged. Looking over my shoulder at my bedroom door, I said in an almost wistful voice, "there's nothing left for me here. I need to leave as soon as possible." I turned my head back to my father and he nodded. "No one you want to say goodbye to? Kiz, Turkey is some distance away." He said cautiously. I narrowed my eyes at him, "Nope. Not anyone. Can we go now?" My voice was hard and robotic. It didn't sound like my own. Abe's eyes widened slightly and he nodded, "sure. Just let me call my driver.." he muttered, taking out his phone.

With a satisfied smile, I leaned back up against the wall. My life as a Guardian ended here. Well, atleast until I came back. Until then, I was free. Nothing to tie me down or control me.

'Dimitri is asking where you are. Should I tell him?' I heard a voice in my head. I immediately identified it as Lissa's and I felt myself panic. No. Dimitri couldn't know. Not yet, atleast.

I quickly pulled out my phone to send a text to Lissa. Don't tell him! Not until i'm gone.

I hit 'send' and sighed, hoping Lissa hadn't said anything. Well, it's not like he'd care. He wanted me as far away from him as possible, right? I was granting his wish. I wouldn't bother him anymore; he could live without the worry and burden of Rose Hathaway.

Suddenly, an idea popped into my mind. "Hey, Abe. As a matter of fact, I do have to do something to do before we go."

Abe pressed a button on his phone and looked at me. "Sure, Kiz. What is it?"

"Do you have any paper...?"

 **HEY EVERYONE! So, here's the first chapter of In A Year, did you like it? Hate it? Should I continue? Let me know!**

 **Updates for this story will be random, and I just ask that you're patient with me as I get very busy in the Summer with work and all that, so thanks for your patience in advance!**

 **Also, I'm sorry for any mistakes. English is not my first language, so please bare with me!**

 **So, let me know your feedback and stay beautiful!**

 **Stay beautiful! Xoxo,**

 **||RozaBelikov1996||**


	2. Chapter 2: Sweet Dreams or Nightmares

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own the world of VA or any of the recognizable characters. I just own THIS Fanfic's plot. All other credit goes to the lovely Richelle Mead**

 **Chapter 2: Sweet Dreams or Nightmares?**

 **DPOV**

 **SHE WAS** gone.

She left. Just like that. How did I know? By the letter she left in my room. She left one for all her friends and me. For Vasilisa, for Christian, for Eddie, Adrian, and me. Each one was individualized for each person.

I numbly reached down on my bed and picked up the sheet of paper that I had found slipped under the crack of my door. I decided to read it again, knowing it would bring the feeling of emptiness I received whenever I read it or thought about Rose gone.

 _Comrade,_

 _The main reason I have written this letter is to make you aware that I have left. To where? I will not say, but no one will find me here. (Not that you'd care or look.) But, don't worry. I am helping you by leaving. You wanted me away from you, gone. Your wish has been granted._

 _Now, I'm not going to make this very long because I know you probably have better things to do then read this. All I have to say is that you were right. Love does indeed fade, and soon, mine's will too. I can promise you that. I only have one thing to ask of you: take care of Lissa. Protect her since I can't. I know you already promised her that when she restored you, but I am asking you this sincerely. Keep my best friend safe. When I return, (if I return, anyways), and if she is perfectly fine, I will find a way to repay you, with whatever you need. Just protect her, make sure nothing bad happens to her._

 _Before I finish this longer-than-originally-planned note, I want to thank you. For helping me become the Guardian I am today, even though me leaving is practically throwing that life away. I will continue to hunt Strigoi, though not actually protecting a specific charge. That's really all I have to say to you, really. Along with a thanks for showing me that love really will just leave you with a broken heart, I wish i'd known that before. But I will not make the same mistakes I made at St. Vlad's, because of you. So thanks for that, comrade._

 _That's it, I guess,_

 _Rose Hathaway._

That was it. She just left. And did she really think that I didn't care for her at all? Did she really believe that I wouldn't wonder where she had gone, or worry for her safety? Though none of the letter was easy to read, the last paragraph hit home.

Did she think that we were a mistake? Did she truly think that she meant to little to me? Honestly, I hadn't really given her a reason to think otherwise these past few days, and that day in the church... I'd really hurt her. I didn't want to, that wasn't my intention. I just needed her to understand that I couldn't love anyone anymore, let alone her. I didn't deserve Rose and her love. Not after what I'd done to her while I was... In Russia with her. That was unforgivable. I was a true monster.

The words had flown out of my mouth before I could stop them, and I couldn't take them back now. The damage had been done. Hurting her even more made me hate myself much more than I already did. Even though I meant the words, (Or not. Rose leaving was a wake up call for me), I had never wanted her gone. She had to stay here. Rose had such a promising future as a Guardian, and she'd worked so hard to get where she was today. Now she was gone, to God-knows-where, and I didn't know if I'd ever see her again.

I was pushing her away to protect her, to make sure I could never hurt her again. Now I had hurt Rose and she left. It was all my fault. Everything was all my fault.

Now I was left to battle with the horrible, empty and numb feeling that hit me like a blast of wind when I found out Rose was gone. I felt like half my soul -the one i'd just got back- was missing. Gone. I felt like I was missing half my heart. Half of me. I had to find her. Things between us couldn't stay like this. Maybe... Maybe there was a chance that we could be friends? Atleast friends.

Dimitri Belikov! An inner voice scolded. Don't forget the reason you pushed her away in the first place. Being around her would only bring her danger! You will hurt her more than you already have!

No... I couldn't have that. Not after everything I've done to her. I didn't deserve Rose. I didn't. But I knew that being without her would be extremely difficult, especially if all I saw when I closed my eyes was her. Me doing those horrible things to her when I was... When I was Strigoi. I had once promised her I would always protect her. That I'd never let anything happen to her. It was on the night of the cabin, where we had finally gave in to our love. That was the single greatest night of my life, but it had to be ruined by the attack and the rescue mission, that robbed us of mine and Rose's possibilities for a life together, of happiness. Maybe her leaving was for the best. It was what was best for both of us.

Then why'd it hurt so much?

When I had been restored, I had told myself that I would have to sacrifice my personal desires and needs for Rose's safety. I couldn't hurt her. I refused to let that happen. Maybe there was the smallest chance that the demon still lurked inside me. I would only be putting her in danger if I was near her, because God knew that woman knew how to test my control.

Looking over the letter one more time, the realization that I just lost the best thing that ever happened to me dawned upon my being, and all the air was knocked out of my lungs. Something inside me shattered and I cursed myself for letting my guard down for that split second in the battle at the caves. If I had fought harder and stronger, none of this would've happened. I would've been able to be with Roza after graduation and things would've turned out so differently. The number of possibilities were endless, yet.. The worst happened and here we were. She was on a plane, or car to who-knows-where and I was stuck here with my self-loathing, cursing and hating myself for not being there for Roza. For being weak for just that one second, and because of my actions and decisions, we both payed the price.

She had asked one thing of me, though. It was to watch over Vasilisa, to protect her. I had already intended on doing that, because of the promise I made her after Vasilisa restored me. But now, another motivation took place. The request Rose had made me. After everything i'd done to her, after all the hurt and results of my actions, words, and decisions had affected her, after all the promises i'd made her that i'd broken... After all she'd done for me, after she risked everything to bring save my soul and/or bring me back to a dhampir, protecting Vasilisa was the least I could do for her.

Until then, all I could do was wait.

 **[….]**

 **I COULDN'T** do this.

It was only day two post Rose's departure and I already felt like I was losing my mind without her. During this past week, I had avoided Rose to keep the promise I'd made what seemed like so long ago, but at least I knew she was okay, that she was alive and well. Now? I didn't know anything on Roza. I didn't know where she was, if she was sick or dying or in a deadly fight with Strigoi right now.. And while that was highly unlikely, It wasn't impossible. And the lack of assurance that my Roza was okay was killing me. Literally driving me insane. I was sick with worry, and something told me that Vasilisa knew something about where Rose was or that she had a way to keep in touch with her. How did I know? She didn't seem as affected by the worry over Rose like I was, or like how the rest of Rose's friends were. Don't get me wrong, she was devastated by Rose leaving, but she also seemed to have something keeping her going - a reassurance that Rose was fine.

I knew it couldn't be the bond, because it was only one-way, but I did know that Vasilisa could feel if Rose was in grave danger -Thank God she wasn't- and whenever I asked about Rose, Vasilisa turned evasive and tried her best to either ignore or change the subject. She knew something on Rose's location or still kept in touch with her, I knew she did.

And I was more than determined to find out what she knew on Rose.

 **[….]**

 **IT WAS** hopeless. It had been six days since Rose had left and I felt like I was literally missing my other half. The one who owned everything I had. My heart and soul. I had tried to get Vasilisa to give me information on Rose but she always refused. I couldn't do this. I couldn't be without my Roza. And I had lost her a second time, and it was all my fault.

All I dreamt about at night was her. It had been that way ever since I was restored. Except, then it was about the horrible, disgraceful things i'd done to her in Siberia, now, (most of the time), it was about our time at St. Vladimirs. Every stolen kiss or moment we'd shared came back to haunt me - out of all these, the Cabin was the most popular. I would dream about the events leading to the cabin and the dreams would always end with Rose being taken in the caves, not me. And it was always my fault. Either I had distracted her, or hadn't been quick and strong enough to save her. Every time I shot up in bed, I could feel my heart ripping apart in my chest at the mere thought of Rose... Dying. It was driving me crazy with worry and concern, not knowing if she was alright. Safe. Her safety had always been my #1 priority, no matter how wrong others said it was. That constant worry for her safety had only grown after Spokane. It had taken a giant-worthy climb when Rose was struggling with seeing... ghosts. Mental, physical or emotional, her safety and well-being would always be the most important thing to me.

Keeping her safe was the main reason I had pushed her away in the first place! Now, I had no idea where she was, how she was doing, or when she was returning, (if she was returning). But if Lissa wasn't going crazy like I was, I knew Rose was okay. All I needed was to see her... Just one last time?

 _Oh, Roza. Where are you?_

 **[….]**

 **Nine months later**

 **ISTANBUL, TURKEY**

 **RPOV**

"DAMMIT, ETHAN! Where are they?" I growled and Ethan, a friend of mine that I met here in Istanbul smirked. "Tell me what I want to hear and I'll give them back." he bargained and I scowled at him.

Ugh. I really wanted my donuts back, but Ethan wouldn't give them back until I told him he was the "Bestest Friend Ever." Ethan was a good friend, he had managed to slip through the protective walls I had around my heart and he earned my trust, using his funny, charming and charismatic personality. He was also very protective of me; and was there for me during my first months in Istanbul, comforting me when he saw I was sad. Ethan was my one of Abe's hired bodyguards and a dhampir like me. He stood four inches taller than me, at 5' 11". Ethan had a lean muscular built from years of training and was three years older than me at 22 years of age. Unlike most dhampirs, Ethan's eyes were a deep blue color, that went well with his really dark hair and lightly tanned complexion. He was handsome, and he seemed to have a crush on me. Nonetheless, I wasn't interested in a relationship. And I wasn't sure if I ever would be.

Ethan was a good friend, and had provided me with comfort, support, and company when I needed it. But right now? He was being a pain in the ass. "Ethan Caleb Anderson, give me back my donuts right now!" I warned and Ethan crossed his arms over his chest and pretended to think. "Hmm... Nope. Not until you say-"

"Fine!" I grumbled, interrupting him. He smirked and looked at me expectantly. "You are the bestest friend ever." I muttered grudgingly. "Oh? What was that? I didn't hear you." He said innocently and I growled lowly. "You are the bestest friend ever." I repeated, louder. "There. Happy?"

Ethan looked very satisfied. "Very. Your donuts are inside the plate cabinet." he revealed and in a flash, I sped to the cabinet, reached up to open it and low and behold; there were my chocolate donuts. I quickly took the small box in my hands and placed it firmly on the table. After putting a donut in my mouth, Ethan came walking into the kitchen.

Before he could say anything, Abe walked in to the kitchen as well, holding what looked like an envelope. "Ethan." Abe greeted my friend with a nod of his head. "Good afternoon, Mr. Mazur." Ethan said politely. Abe turned his dark eyes over to me and smiled. "You have a letter, kizim." he informed. Intrigue and wonder peaked my mood. "Oh really? From who?" I asked, taking the envelope in my hands when he extended it out to me.

I immediately looked down and I smiled when I saw the front.

 _Rosemarie Hathaway_

 _6103 Übsebek Avenue_

 _Istanbul, Turkey_

Okay, so it's obviously for me. But it was the sender's information that made me smile.

 _Vasilisa Dragomir_

 _Moroi Royal Court_

 _Pennsylvania, USA_

My best friend had written me. During the past nine months, Lissa had written me letters, asking me how I was doing and updating me on what was going on in the Moroi-dhampir-Strigoi world. She would also tell me how much she missed me and how our friends kept asking for information on me. Adrian, Eddie, Mia, Christian, (shocking, right?), and..

Dimitri.

I didn't know how to feel about that. I just knew that Dimitri had been badgering Lissa constantly for information on me. I knew this because I often 'slipped' into Lissa's head, or he would send me letters. Usually, I ripped them right after reading what he had to say and I tossed them. I didn't want anything to do with him and I hoped there wasn't a letter from him enclosed in this envelope.

"Who is it from?" Asked Ethan curiously and I glanced up at him, and then back down to the white envelope. "Lissa." I replied and ripped the top of the envelope so I could take the letter out. Ethan knew about Lissa and all my other... Friends? Back at "home." I also trusted him enough to tell him about Dimitri, and how we'd fallen in love and had everything just... Snatched away from us. In a way, I was glad we never really got together. True love was a lie, a myth just to sugar-coat the harsh reality of life; I had to find that out the hard way.

When I ripped the top of the envelope open, two folded sheets of lined paper fell out. Keyword? Two. Oh God.. Please don't let the second one be from him. Someone else, anyone else!

I crouched down and took the papers in my hand and stood back up. Nervously, tentatively, I chose one at random and placed the other on the table. I slowly unfolded the letter in my hands and turned it around. I was greeted with handwriting I knew all to well. My heart dropped and I felt like groaning in annoyance, frustration and regret.

Though the handwriting was all too identifiable, it was the first word writen in neat cursive that gave it away.

 _Roza,_

I stopped reading right there.

"Dammit." I muttered under my breath. "What?" Ethan and Abe asked at the same time, confusion and concern in their voice. I looked up at them and sighed. "This one's... This one is from Dimitri."

Ethan scowled and Abe looked angry. "Belikov?" he growled and I nodded. "The one and only." I confirmed bitterly. Abe looked really upset. Murderous even. This now was not Abe, it was Zmey. Intimidating, manipulative, could-break-your-kneecaps-in-two-seconds Zmey. The serpent.

"Why is that asshole still writing you? Especially after what he did to you?" Ethan demanded, clearly displeased and disapproving. And yet.. I could see some offense and hurt in his beautiful blue eyes. Ethan strongly disliked Dimitri, from what I told him, and thought he was 'stupid' and 'clueless' as to what he had given up. Even when I did seriously resent and maybe even hate Dimitri, I couldn't, just couldn't hear someone talk badly about him and be perfectly fine or not get bothered.

"Don't call him that, and I don't know." I sighed exasperatedly. Ethan and Abe looked outraged, and shocked. "You're defending the jackass even after he hurt you so many times?" Ethan asked, a look that seemed almost indignant and disapproving on his face.

"Ethan!" I snapped, catching both him, Abe and I by surprise. "Don't," I warned, after recovering. Ethan clenched his jaw and crossed his strong arms over his chest, then grumbled something under his breath. I didn't hear it, but even if I did, I wouldn't have understood it. From what I could make out, it was spoken in his native language, French. But it did sound really grudging and disapproving. I honestly didn't care.

Ignoring my friend's small outburst, I looked back at my dad, who didn't seem all to thrilled about Dimitri's letter, but he was holding off for something. "What does it say, kiz?" he asked and I snorted. "Probably the same or a really similar idea to the rest of his stupid letters." How he regretted hurting me and pushing me away after he was restored, how much he missed me and how I was all he thought about.. And questions to my location and well-being. His letters would always profess how much he claimed to 'love' me. How he was wrong and that his love never faded, and that he loved me with all his heart.

Ha! What a load of bullshit.

If he did regret how he treated me and if he still did love me, it was too late. I didn't love him. I didn't want anything to do with him. He hurt me, repeatedly, and I could never trust him again. Never again.

Without a second thought, I ripped the letter until it was nothing but small, unshaped pieces of thin paper. He had ripped up my heart again and again and I wasn't going to just take all the hits like a punching bag. I wasn't invincible, and that's why I had to harden my heart and not let anybody in. Ethan was an exception. His familiar personality and comfort he offered me when he saw how heartbroken I was over Dimitri's rejection slipped into my heart before I could build the wall up. Ethan's jokes, sarcastic yet charming and bold attitude had become a large part of my world and I couldn't just shut him out.

I wasn't like Dimitri.

Abe and Ethan were obviously not expecting me to rip up the letter before I read it, but I did and something in Ethan's eyes looked relieved, and weirdly enough, that relief irritated me.

"Well," began Abe. "That letter didn't last long." he added as I walked to the trash can to dump whatever remained of the letter in. "I'll read the next one. The one that actually matters to me." I grunted and walked back to the table and picked up the letter from my best friend who I missed like crazy.

 _Rose,_

 _How are you..._

 **[….]**

 _"I LOVE you, Roza." he breathed as his fingers gently traced my jawline, sending shivers through my body. I looked him straight in his eyes. Those dark, dark eyes that I loved so much. Eyes that reminded me of melted chocolate. "I love you too, comrade." I murmured and he smiled, leaned down and brought our lips together in a passionate, loving kiss that blew me away._

 _His lips left mine and they went to my jaw, kissing the edge and down my neck. I felt every nerve in my body leap with anticipation and I pressed myself closer to him, if possible. With one hand firmly wrapped around my waist and the other placed on my upper back, he held my body close to his. His lips on my neck went to the base of my shoulder and his mouth opened widely. I frowned. "What-?" and then I felt it. Something, or two somethings, pierced the skin of my neck and sink themselves in. I cried out at the sudden pain, but the cry softened to a soft, almost inaudible moan as a wave - no, Tsunami of joy, bliss and pleasure flooded me, drowning out all my senses. The feeling was exquisite and I lost track of the world - lost track of who I was._

 _Unfortunately, the perfect ocean of bliss came to an end when I felt something pull out of my neck. I whimpered at the loss but I was still a little woozy from the... What was that? I didn't know what had just happened. But, frankly, I didn't care. All my mind was on was the pleasure and unearthly feeling of being on a cloud I had just experienced. All my mind could process was how much I wanted that rush again. That... Exquisite and amazing feeling. I wanted it. I needed it._

 _"What...? What happened? Why.." My words were slurred from the high I just experienced and I lazily opened my eyes._

 _And I almost pissed my pants at what I saw._

 _It was Dimitri. But.. It wasn't Dimitri. His skin was white. Pale. Ice. And his pupils were ringed with red. Something in me snapped awake and I was kicked into full alarm. Oh my god.. Oh my god... No. No. This couldn't be happening. I wanted to scream and cry with my pain, fear and stupidity. What the fuck. Now I got it. Dimitri... Dimitri was a.. A Strigoi. He bit me. That's why I felt that rush. But... How?_

 _My eyes quickly scanned my surroundings. I was in a luxurious room that seemed familiar to me but I didn't have time to investigate. I was with a Strigoi. A Strigoi was in this room. Not Dimitri, a Strigoi._

 _I was kicked into battle mode, despite the endorphins I just received. I turned against him and struck him with whatever combat moves I could manage in my drugged state. My punches were sloppy and my kicks were lazy, but I couldn't give up, no matter how much a large part of me wanted to cry and sob over Dimitri being Strigoi._

 _Dimitri easily blocked my moves and even when he too looked weary and affected by the bite, he still fought like a god. "Roza." he growled in anger, frustration and annoyance. I froze for a millimeter of a second. Roza.. The nickname. One DHAMPIR Dimitri had just called me seconds ago, before this nightmare happened. But I realized something. When dhampir Dimitri said my Russian name, his tone was filled with affection, fondness and love. This Dimitri said it with irritance and exasperation - not the good kind - and frustration - again, not the good kind. -_

 _Dimitri firmly and tightly grabbed my arm as I tried to strike him and When I tried to do the same with the other, he caught that one mid-punch too._

 _Dimitri pushed me back and I went flying with the sheer force and my back hit the wall. "Oomph!" left my mouth in a half-grunt, half-gasp as my back and head collided with the wall, hard. And he barely flicked his wrists._

 _Pain cracked through the back of my head and entire backside of my body and I crumpled to the floor and grunted again in pain as a wave of dizziness hit me. I was able to look up only a bit, but it was enough to see Dimitri's shoes, walking over here slowly and menacingly. Fear struck me and I froze up._

 _Slowly, I looked up and saw Dimitri, towering over me with a cold and hard expression on his face. "I do not need you." he said icily and I felt something in my heart crack. Which was stupid. This was Strigoi Dimitri, he was evil and merciless. A monster. "I foolishly thought you'd make a great ally to help Galina's army - but I was wrong." He spat. Galina! Didn't I kill her? Didn't I save Dimitri from this state? What happened? Slowly, memories came back to me and I was more confused than ever. Now I knew where we were and why this room seemed familiar to me, but it was why we were here and why Dimitri was still Strigoi, and Galina wasn't dead that confused the sh*t out of me._

 _"You have shown me how weak and defenseless you truly are. You are an embarrassment and I am disgraced to have mentored you, when it's clear you have learned nothing!"_

 _Ouch! That truly wounded me and I flinched, but stayed quiet. "For this, you do not deserve to be awakened. I have wasted my time with you. I will have to kill you, and I will still be charitable enough to make it quick." My heart stopped. Death. I was going to die. Well, I'd rather die than be awakened, but knowing Dimitri could just... Kill me and not care was heart breaking._

 _You've forgotten he's a Strigoi. Evil. A monster._

 _That's when I said it. The two words that sealed my fate. I'd truly rather die than be awakened. "Do it."_

 _Dimitri gave a chilling smile. "Goodbye, Roza. Eternity will be quite lonely without you." That's when I saw both his hands striking towards where my neck was, I heard a distant crack and pain consumed me for half a second.._

 _And all I heard and saw was..nothing._

I heard a scream. I felt myself writhing and trashing when I awoke, and I realized the scream was mine. I didn't stop though, I couldn't. I also felt myself sweating. Or maybe they were tears. Or both.

Before I knew it, two figures burst through my door and were at my bed immediately. "Rose! Rose! What's wrong?!" asked a familiar voice - my father, I realized. I choked on my tears and the screaming stopped. My heart was hammering in my chest and my breathing was heavy and labored. I sat up and backed myself up to the corner of the bed and I hugged my knees to my chest, cowarding back in fear and panic.

"Rose.. What happened?" asked the other person. His voice was soft and gentle as he slowly and cautiously climbed onto my bed. I stiffened and backed myself further into the wall - if possible. "Eyes..Strigoi.. D-Dimitri.." Was all I managed to get out. I hardly recogized my own voice. I hadn't heard it like this in...months. It was broken, devastated. Full of pain, fear and grief.

The two males' faces hardened at first, but then they softened before I buried my face in my knees and cried. Sobs racked my body and I began to shake furiously.

"Rose." Came a voice, but it sounded faint and distant as I found it harder to breathe. Soon, I couldn't get any air into my lungs at all. I panicked.

"Can't... B..breathe..!" I gasped and began to hyperventilate to get the oxygen into my lungs.

"Rose! What's wrong!?" asked a frantic voice. I didn't listen and I began to gasp desperately for air. "Rose! Rose, listen to me. Listen to my voice. Breathe in and out... Rose!"

I felt a pair of hands on my shoulder and I tried to focus and imitate the man's -my father's- breathing. I couldn't and everything began to darken around me. "Rose! Abe, what's wrong with her!?" asked another voice, filled with panic and worry. Ethan.

I heard more talking but it began to muffle as I grew weaker and weaker and breathing became harder. It became harder to stay awake.

I was exhausted, so I let the darkness consume me.

Then all I saw was black.

 **[…]**

 **A/N: Hello! Chapter 2 is up... Sorry it's a bit sad! Writing Rose's nightmare was not easy**

 **On another note, we're nine months in, only three more to go!**

 **Did you like this chapter? Let me know!**

 **Xoxo,**

 **||RozaBelikov1996||**

 **NOTICE: My dear friend and co-writer Sarah will be my amazing co-writer that writes the world in our favorite Russian's eyes** **So any grammar or misspellings or any mistakes are mine.**


	3. Chapter 3: It's Over

**!:** **To the Guest who reviewed with some constructive criticism on Chapter 1, I didn't get to reply to you on Chapter 2, so I'll do it here. First of all, thank you! You kept your review on advising me how to improve my story and pointing a very painful mistake, lol, so I thank you for that and I appreciate it! I did go back and correct that mistake. To everyone else who read and left a review, THANK YOU SO MUCH! I love you all! I ask that you excuse my terrible writing, mistakes and formatting. I'm new to writing on Fanfiction and I'm still learning! I also started this story on Wattpad like 2 years ago, and I've improved over time, but I'm still not very strong in my English, so please bare with me!**

 **Sorry for taking up your time! Let's move on with the chapter, shall we?**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own the world of VA or any of the recognizable characters. I just own THIS Fanfic's plot. All other credit goes to the lovely Richelle Mead**

 **Chapter 3: It's Over**

 **~X~**

 **THE MOROI ROYAL COURT - PENNSYLVANIA**

 **LPOV**

" **DIMITRI, I** understand you want to know more about her; but I can't tell you anything." I said, exasperated and a bit frustrated. I felt bad for Dimitri and saw his constant efforts to get more information on Rose, and if it hadn't been for my promise, I probably would've gave in and told the poor man.

"I know, Princess.. But.. I can't help it. I need to know if she's alright. I'm going crazy with how much I miss her.." Dimitri said brokenly and I could see the pain and concern in his eyes. My heart broke for him. He loved Rose, he still did, no matter what he claimed. These past nine months had been tough for him, for all of us, but Dimitri had been hit by Rose's departure the hardest. Especially after how things had stayed between them. Dimitri didn't know that Rose was coming back in three months, he didn't know Rose was coming back at all! And he seemed like he was going crazy missing her. I was too, she was my best friend, but I got to stay in touch with her by text, calls and letters.

A few times, Dimitri had written letters to Rose and I would enclose them in the envelope I put my own letters to her in. Rose would always write me back, but Dimitri never got a response, and he constantly pleaded me to tell him where she was and when (if) she was coming back. I had to decline, always. I had made my best friend a promise and I intended to keep it.

"I know, Dimitri.. I miss her too.. But.. I can't tell you anything." I said apologetically, giving him a sad and sympathetic smile. Something broke in Dimitri's eyes, and I could see the pain in them. "Does... Does she really hate me that much?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. My tongue went thick in my mouth. Truth was, I didn't know Rose's true and current feelings towards Dimitri. I knew she was devastated when he rejected and hurt her time and time again, but had that turned to hate?

"I.. I don't think she hates you. I'm not one to say, Dimitri, but I don't think she does." I said honestly and he nodded and looked down. "I really messed up with her. I hurt her so many times, and now i'm paying the price. If she does hate me, I deserve it. I should've never pushed her away so much.." Dimitri's voice was filled with regret and sadness. "Dimitri.. It wasn't your fault. You had just been restored. Don't blame yourself."

He looked up at me, straight into my eyes. "But it's true. I lost the best thing that ever happened to me, and I don't even know if she's okay-"

"She is." I interjected. "She's fine.." I reassured and he sighed. "I can't be without her. I choose not to. I have to find her. Please, Vasilisa.. Please. Where is she? I need to know.." He was pleading now. Dimitri was begging me to tell him. I had never seen him so desperate, so.. Broken. He truly seemed lost without Rose, and I knew she was lost without him. The two complimented each other perfectly and fit together like two puzzle pieces, designed especially and only for the other. How I'd never noticed it before was beyond me, but now I did. Dimitri was incomplete without Rose, I could see it in his aura. It didn't shine or burn brightly at all. It was dull, and bored. When he'd been restored, he was struck with the horrible guilt and grief at the terrible things he'd done as a Strigoi, and being around Rose was a constant reminder of those things. Yet, when she was around him at the time, his aura would burn with a flame, it was blinding with color. She managed to bring out numerous emotions in him: Grief, Regret, Frustration, Exasperation, Sadness, Guilt, Wariness.. and in the swarm of the seemingly negative emotions, positive, bright emotions took place as well when he was around her, making the colors of his aura a rainbow of feelings. His shone with amazement, awe, admiration, adoration, and love. His soul mirrored hers and they -no matter what both of them claimed- shone brightly at the presence of another, completing them and making their souls one. Who was I to step in the middle of them, especially when I was hopelessly and madly in love with someone as well, someone who I wasn't with right now, but I still loved him. So much, it hurt.

So, having my experience with love and heartbreak, how could I reject others the blessing of being in love and together with their soulmate? Dimitri wasn't himself if Rose wasn't here, and something told me that Rose wasn't the same without Dimitri, so what kind of heartless person would I be if I kept the two apart.

Something in me snapped. "She's with her father." I blurted out and Dimitri's eyes widened in shock. "What?" he asked, a little stunned. Oh, Rose was so going to kill me. "She went with her father - Abe. To Istanbul." I admitted and I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my chest. Phew! After months of Dimitri asking and me rejecting, I finally told him.

"Istanbul... Is...she coming back?" he asked hesitantly, though I could see his relief in his eyes. I nodded. "In three months. I gave her a year to go off to Istanbul, away from here.." I explained and as soon as I knew it, Dimitri threw his arms around me, catching me completely by surprise. "Thank you, Vasilisa! Thank you! I.. I can't explain how much this means to me.." he gasped and I gave him a friendly hug back before he pulled away. "I told you to call me Lissa, and please wait until she returns.. She'll kill me if she finds out I told." I grimaced, already feeling guilty at betraying my best friend. Dimitri seemed hesitant, but nodded. "She'll... She'll be back in three months?" he asked, a bit reluctant and I nodded. "Yes. Three months."

Dimitri nodded. He didn't say anything else, nodded at me, then walked off to God-knows-where.

Three months..

 **[….]**

 **ISTANBUL, TURKEY**

 **RPOV**

 **I WOKE** up some time later, feeling groggy and disoriented. I tried to open my eyes, but I only managed a small squint, which didn't help much because my vision was blurry.

I let out a soft moan and I heard fast paced footsteps - coming from more than one person. "Rose?" came a faint voice that I recognized, but couldn't identify just yet. "Rose? Are you awake?" said another familiar voice. I tried again to open my eyes and it worked, but all I saw was blurred figures. Soon, my vision cleared. My father, Ethan, and a man in a white coat and a stethoscope around his neck surrounded the bed I was on. I figured the man in the coat was a doctor.

What? Why did I need a doctor? What happened?

"Rose?" the doctor said softly. I blinked, trying to adjust to the lighting. I scanned my surroundings. I was in my room, not the hospital. Thank God.

My eyes went back to the doctor, and my worried father and friend. "W..what.. W-what hap-happened?" I croaked out and noticed my throat was really dry. "Water..." I said hoarsely and Ethan immediately rushed out of the room, maybe to get me a bottle of water.

He soon returned with a bottled water in his hands and he quickly went to the other side of the bad and extended the water bottle out to me. "Here, Rose.." he said softly, I could see the worry, relief and tenderness in his eyes as he gazed at me. I smiled at him and weakly extended my arm to get the water bottle. I felt exhausted, like all the energy had been drained from me. I managed to open the water bottle and take a long nice drink, quenching my thirst.

"Ah.." I breathed and looked at the doctor and Abe, who was behind him.

"Hello, Rose. My name is Doctor Branham. How do you feel?" Doctor Branham asked. He was a middle aged man with dark, almost black short hair and a tanned complexion. He had kind and understanding brown eyes and a gentle smile.

"Hungry. Tired. What happened?" I said, stiffling a yawn. I heard a soft chuckle coming from Ethan, Abe smirked and Dr. Branham grinned. But then he sobered up before he spoke again, "that's expected. Rose.. You experienced a panic attack and you were out for seven hours. I just came in about an hour ago to check up on you, and you seem fine to me, but.. Have you ever had a panic attack before?"

I stared at him, stunned. A panic attack. Suddenly, the events from last night flooded my mind... Oh God.. Having that nightmare about Dimitri being Strigoi and actually killing me gave me a panic attack.

I blinked, snapping out of my small, stunned reaction. "I... No.." I replied, a little disoriented and shocked. "Any nervous break downs or anything close to the sort?" Dr. Branham asked pointedly and I nodded slowly, earning a wide-eyed, shocked expression from my father and Ethan.

"Would you like to explain?" The doc. asked and I bit my lip and hesitated. "I.. Well.. not really.." I muttered and looking mildly disappointed and reluctant Dr. Branham nodded. "Okay, that's fine. Well, all I can do is check her again, do a small physical.. You can call me if this ever happens again."

After Dr. Branham did a small check up on me, he left. Sighing and throwing myself back on the bed, I stared at the ceiling. The room was left with an awkward tension and silence with Ethan and Abe just looking at me expectantly. Abe was the first to break the silence.

"You've had a nervous breakdown?" Abe asked, almost incredulous and disbelieving. "Well, no. Not a nervous breakdown. But I did struggle with Spirit darkness - darkness I pulled from Lissa using Spirit.." my voice trailed off as I remembered the one night where the darkness had exploded inside me. The night where I attacked Jesse, nearly killing him because he tortured Lissa. The night Dimitri had pulled me back and when we had gave in to-

 _Ah, crap._

I couldn't think about that! Not right now! Especially if I claimed that night meant nothing to me anymore. Nothing at all. My love for Dimitri had faded, just like his had, (no matter what he claimed otherwise now), and any sentimental emotion that night or any of our physical actions held to my heart had faded along with that love. I think...

Abe looked outraged and a bit offended. "Rose! What do you mean, spirit darkness? What happened when you pulled the darkness?"

You don't want to know.

"Nothing so grave. I just snapped once and beat up Jesse Zeklos because he tortured Lissa." I mumbled and Ethan gasped. "What?"

I turned to him. "Really, guys. It's nothing. Now, can I eat? Because I'm starving..."

 **[….]**

 **THE MOROI ROYAL COURT - PENNSYLVANIA**

 **DPOV**

"SHE'LL BE back in three months." I informed the Moroi Royal in front of me, hesitantly and almost wearily.

"Three months? Wow. You must've really done something to her, Belikov." Adrian taunted in a grudging tone. I hid a scowl, "I don't think that's any of your business, Lord Ivashkov." I said icily and Adrian glared. "Yes it is, especially when you hurt my little dhampir, and because of that, she left to Turkey." He retorted and something in me threatened to snap. Me. He was blaming me for Rose leaving. As if I didn't blame myself enough already.

I managed to refrain myself from punching pretty-boy, but something else left my lips, something that surprised both me and him. " _Your_ 'little dhampir?'"

I could sense the jealous, protective and almost possessive tone in my voice, and judging by the smirk that plastered on Adrian's face, I could tell he did too. "Touched a nerve? Don't worry, you stupid Russian. She never paid any mind to me anyways. She always disregarded the flowers, perfume, love notes and flirting. She was too gone for you."

I felt a hint of satisfaction in that as I hid a smile, completely dismissing him calling me a 'stupid Russian'. Of course, I wasn't sure how she felt about me currently, and I was pretty sure she hated me. That ruined my mood.

"Well, it's obvious her feelings for you changed, otherwise she wouldn't have left. It's your fault, you ass." Adrian accused angrily and I felt my own anger spike up as I glared at the Moroi and tried not to punch the idiot.

 _Keep your cool, Dimitri. He's a Moroi, you can't hit a Moroi. Especially a Royal and the Queen's favorite nephew._

"Have a good day, Lord Ivashkov." I gritted out, turning around and I began to walk away, silently fuming.

It was now, more than ever, that I could see why Rose often tried to ignore Adrian.

When I reached my room, I walked in and kicked the door shut. Before I knew it, I was sitting on the edge of the bed with my elbows on my knees and my head in my hands. I let out a deep exhale and I sighed. Rose.. Oh Roza.

She literally had no idea how much I missed her and needed her. The letters I sent did my true feelings no justice, but I never got a reply back so I didn't know if she even read them.

I had gone nine months without her. Without hearing her beautiful, angelic voice and her snarky, sarcastic jokes. Nine months without those dark eyes I loved so much, or without hearing her laugh, seeing her scowl, smile, smirk, pout or whine. I missed her so much, and the worst part of all was that Adrian was right. It was my fault she left. I wouldn't see my Roza for another three months, because of me. And chances were, when she did return, there was the possibility that she would act coldly with me. She probably hated me, and I deserved it. I didn't deserve her love, or anything good from my Roza. Yet, even the mere thought of Rose hating me just killed me, like an icy dagger to my heart.

These three months were going to be longer than I'd thought.

 **[….]**

 **THREE MONTHS LATER -**

 **ISTANBUL ATATÜRK AIRPORT- ISTANBUL, TURKEY**

 **RPOV**

 **"DO YOU** have to go?" asked Ethan, eyes wide and pleading. I gave him a small smile and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Yes, I do. It's been a year and I promised.. But I'll stay in touch. I swear it." I assured and I could see the heartbreak in his eyes. I felt my own heart twist at hurting the one friend who'd helped me through everything here. "Why can't I go with you?"

I frowned. "Ethan, you're my dad's guardian and he's staying here. But don't worry: this isn't goodbye. More like a 'see you later'." I said, trying to lighten his mood. He looked at me, resigned, and nodded. "Okay.. I'll miss you, Rose." he murmured and I wrapped my arms around his neck, and he wrapped his around my waist, pulling me close. "I'll miss you too, _Arkadaşım_. Take care of my old man, will you?" I chuckled and Ethan released me and we faced each other once more. "I don't think Abe needs protection, but of course, _Gül._ "

I dragged my eyes from my friend to my father and before I knew it, I was in his waiting arms. "Bye _kizim_ , I'll see you later, when I go to Pennsylvania again. Take care and stay in touch." He whispered in my ear. "Always, old man."

A female voice came over the loudspeaker, speaking in Turkish.

" _Uçuş 213 şimdi yatılı. Uçuş 213 şimdi yatılı."_

I had learned enough Turkish to know that the call meant that my flight was boarding passengers. I looked at my father and Ethan with one last meaningful look. I mouthed a 'goodbye' to them, then turned around with my luggage, and walked to the boarding center.

Here we go, Rose...

 **[….]**

 **I DREADED** going back. I didn't want too, but I made a promise to Lissa. I didn't want to see him or have anyone tell me how wrong it was to leave. I didn't want it.

I have been on this flight for two hours, and even though I would be here for a lot more time, I was already wanting to go back to my father's mansion.

 _No, Rose. You are not going to back out, and it's too late anyways. You made a promise. You have to go back to Court. No matter whether Dimitri is there or not._

I groaned internally. I didn't want to do this, but I had too. I had to go back. Oh.. I hope I didn't have to actually interact with Dimitri. Not now...

Sighing, I rested my head back on the airplane seat, and before I knew it, I slipped into Lissa's mind.

 **[….]**

 **THE REST** of the plane ride was almost unbearable. It was so long and we arrived at the Philadelphia International Airport, I wasn't sure how I was going to get to the Royal Court.

With my luggage, I walked to the end terminal to wait for whoever. Sighing, I leant up against a wall and sighed, pulling out my phone. I called my dad.

And unsurprisingly, he answered on the first ring.

"Hello? Rose? Did you land?" He asked through the phone.

"Yeah..." I murmured. My voice sounded exhausted and I was. "Do you have someone to pick you up?" he asked and I sighed. "No. I thought about calling Lissa or something."

"Shit," Abe cursed. "I should've arranged that."

There was a voice in the background and he paused. I couldn't identify the voice or make out what the person was saying, but it was probably none of my business. "Yes, Ethan. She did land." Abe said after the voice stopped. I smiled fondly to myself. It was Ethan.

Another pause from my dad as the voice - Ethan - said something else. "She's fine, Ethan. Just a little tired from the flight." Dad said and I felt my heart warm a little bit. He was asking how I was. Oh, my friend. I missed them already.

One more pause as Ethan said something else. When he was finished, Dad sighed exasperated yet almost comical. "Ethan says hi and to come back soon."

"Tell him I said hi too and that I'll go back soon... Or... You could come here?" I suggested hopefully. "Of course, _kizim_. Just as soon as I finish up business here, we'll go to court."

"Okay. Well, I'm just going to call Lissa or something. Bye dad."

"Bye Kiz. I'll see you later." then he hung up. I was just about to put my phone in my pocket when it buzzed and I received a text. It was from Lissa. My heart nearly stopped when I read it.

 _Look to your right._

I did. My eyes scanned my right side until my eyes stopped on a specific person.

"Liss..." I whispered with wide eyes. My heart skipped a beat when I saw her and she was smiling so widely, I thought her cheeks would split. I also noticed she had tears brimming in her jade eyes and soon enough, I had tears in mine. My best friend... My best friend I hadn't seen in the flesh for a year was standing before me. And in a blink of an eye, she rushed towards me and threw her thin arms around me in a bone-crushing hug. Then I noticed she was sobbing on my shoulder.

"Y-you're back.. It's you.. It's you.." she cried and I held her close and protectively, trying to soothe her by stroking her platinum blonde hair. "Shh... Yes, it's me.. I didn't know you were here." I spoke softly and she choked on a sob before pulling away to look into my eyes. "Of course I came! I knew you would need s-someone t-to pick you up so W-we came for you."

I smiled gratefully at her and nodded. "Thanks Liss..." That's when her words really hit me.

"Wait. What do you mean, we?" I asked, shaking my head twice quickly. Lissa became nervous and almost wary. "Lissa, what did you mean by we?" I pressed.

"Hello Roza."

My heart stopped. My world stopped. Roza. Only one person called me that and the nickname made my heart clench. My eyes didn't leave Lissa. "You didn't...no.." I whispered and she looked slightly guilty. She did. My eyes slowly left Lissa and I looked over her shoulder. That's when I saw him, my heart breaking again at his sight. My jaw nearly dropped to the floor.

Annoyance, betrayal, heartbreak, anger, and, yes, love consumed me. Love. Well, shit. I couldn't love this man. He'd hurt me badly and he was the whole reason I left the fucking court.

I clenched my jaw before saying,

"Son of a bitch."

 **[….]**

 **A/N: Oooh! How was that? Did you like the reunion? Did you hate it? How was the chapter overall and how do you think Dimitri is going to react to Rose, and vice versa?**

 **Please review! Constructive criticism is always welcome!**

 **Xoxo,**

 **||RozaBelikov1996||**

 **TRANSLATION (S):**

 **"Arkadaşım" = Turkish for**

 **'My friend'**

 **"Gül" = Turkish for 'Rose'**

 **"Kizim" = Turkish for "My daughter"**

 **"Uçuş 213 şimdi yatılı. Uçuş 213 şimdi yatılı." = Turkish for "Flight 213 is now boarding. Flight 213 is now boarding."**

 **And you all know this last one, but I'm going to add it anyway!**

 **"Roza" = Russian for 'Rose'**


	4. Chapter 4: She's Back!

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own the world of VA or any of the recognizable characters. I just own THIS Fanfic's plot. All other credit goes to the lovely Richelle Mead**

 **Chapter 4: She's Back!**

 **~X~**

 **RPOV**

" **SON OF** a bitch."

Dimitri Belikov stood there, in all his 6'7" glory. Nice, tall, strong and handsome. Oh, so handsome with his chin length brown hair that he had pulled back into a short ponytail, yet a few strands fell loose, framing his handsome face. His dark eyes studied me with love, adoration, longing, regret and there was this far off look in his eyes that put an almost dazed expression on his face as he gazed at me, almost checking to see if I was actually here. Something consumed me and I allowed myself to rack my eyes over his body. He looked as godly as ever and seeing him made my heart ache as all these memories flooded my mind. From when we first met in Portland, to the cabin, where we made love for the first and only time. Those led to other unwanted memories, including those when he got restored and refused to see me. They all ended when I remembered the day he shattered my heart and the old Rose Hathaway in the church, his words as loud and clear and painful as they were on that day.

 _'I've given up on you. Love fades, mine has..'_

Remembering those words, it was like a bucket of cold water had been dumped on my face. I stiffened and my face hardened. _Shit!_ How had I let myself have that moment of weakness! That was stupid! I couldn't think about him like this now. He hurt me. He broke my heart and lost my trust when he spoke those words. I couldn't - I wouldn't - practically enable him to do it again. No. Not again

"Roz-"

"It's Rose, actually." I corrected coldly. Hurt flashed in his eyes, along with the love and longing. Love? Too bad. I was determined to get over him, and I would. I knew that. I had too.

"Sorry" he murmured and something in me felt guilty for hurting him, but I waved it away. I turned to Lissa and narrowed my eyes at her before she sent an apology through the bond.

' _I'm sorry. He insisted on coming, but please try to be nice. He really missed you, Rose.'_

I snorted out loud in response and I heard her sigh in my head.

He missed me. Yeah, I got the letters, but I had a hard time believing that. I wasn't going to allow myself to love him, he would just break my heart again. I wouldn't allow that. Not again.

"Well, we should get back. The drive will be pretty lengthy." Dimitri said softly, his 'guardian' mask firmly in place. Even though I didn't know if he had regained his Guardian title, the emotionless mask didn't leave. It seemed like it never would.

"How 'lengthy?'" I asked when we began to walk to the main parking lot. "About three hours." Lissa replied bluntly and I almost had a heart attack.

Three hours?! I was going to have to be in a car with Dimitri for three hours?!

 _Fuck my life._

"Great." I muttered. "Just great."

When we reached the black SUV, I saw a figure in there. I frowned, wondering who it was. Dimitri and Lissa noticed it too, but paid no mind to it. Maybe it was someone I knew? But who? The possibilities were endless as I tried to guess who it was.

That was revealed when Dimitri opened the door to the back. There sat Christian Ozera. "Oh no. She's back. Guys, it's over. Our Rose Hathaway free year is over." Christian complained in mock-disappointment. I rolled my eyes, my heart warming up a bit at seeing a familiar face that I could have some fun with.

"Yeah, I'm back to making your guy's lives a living hell." I rolled my eyes before climbing in the back to sit with Christian, making it clear that I did not want to sit next to Dimitri for three hours. Lissa sighed and climbed in after me. I shifted so she could sit in between Christian and I.

I looked over to Dimitri and while his 'Guardian' mask was firmly in place, I saw the hurt in his eyes. My heart lurched and I immediately scolded myself. I shouldn't care whether I hurt Dimitri or not, but I did. I really did and I wanted to get rid of the part of me that might still have lingering feelings for him and that wanted nothing more than to jump into his arms right now and kiss him senseless. I couldn't do that, and thankfully, that Dimitri-loving part of me was masked by the broken heart he had given me. I couldn't trust him. I didn't trust him. Especially not with my heart.

"I don't doubt it. Where were you all this time, anyways?" Christian asked and I felt myself stiffen. Dimitri froze for a millisecond before he shut the back sliding door and I slowly looked over at Christian and Lissa, who had an expression of uneasiness on her face. I sighed. They were going to find out anyways.

"Istanbul." I replied simply and I heard the door shut. Christian looked shocked and his eyes widened. "Istanbul. As in.. Turkey?" he asked incredulously.

"Mm-hmm. Glad to see you learned your Geography." I smirked and Christian fell back into his seat, ignoring my snide comment. "Wow. I was not expecting that." he muttered and I shrugged. What struck me most was that Dimitri wasn't surprised. It was like he knew.

That's when it hit me. He did know. He was expecting the answer of Istanbul. But...who told him? There was only one answer to that. The only person who knew was -

"Lissa." I hissed and glared at my Moroi friend. She looked at me, nervous and looking guilty. I felt her apologetic feelings through the bond.

 _'I'm sorry, Rose. I didn't mean to tell him! He was just so desperate to know and I... I'm sorry.'_ she said through the bond and I groaned inwardly. I couldn't stay mad at her. Especially not when I hadn't seen her in over a year.

"It's fine.." I murmured and Lissa looked a little skeptical, but then she smiled in relief and gratitude. Dimitri then climbed into the car and sat on the driver's seat. It wasn't long before he started the SUV and we were on our way.

 **[….]**

 **"HOW MUCH** longer do we have to be in here?" I asked, complaining over such the long time we've been in here.

Christian's face shone with amusement. "Rose, we've only been in here for ten minutes." Really? ten minutes? It seemed much longer than that. Especially when the air was thick with a tension between Dimitri and I, who I didn't dare look at or address.

I groaned, but before I could respond, Dimitri spoke, much to my annoyance. "Rose, we're going to be in here for about another two hours." Dimitri's voice was laced with amusement, but he was deathly focused on the front window, never taking his eyes off the road.

My only response to him was a grunt. I had avoided any conversation with him and I planned to do that for probably the rest of my time at Court.

The rest of the time.

 **[….]**

 **TURNS OUT,** we were in the car for _four hours_. Traffic was really bad and as soon as we made it to Court, I was practically itching to get out. Dimitri got off the car first, then circled around it to the passenger door on my side and opened it. Such a gentleman. He probably did it only for Lissa, but I had to get out first. When my black combat boots touched the floor, everything felt so surreal. _Oh my God, I'm here. I'm back at Court._

I slowly walked forward, my eyes widened in awe as they scanned the large buildings. I hadn't been here in so long, and something told me I would be here a while. Fine, as long as Dimitri stayed out of my way.

"Damn." I breathed and looked back at Lissa, who had just barely jumped down onto the ground. "How long was I gone again?" I asked, a little teasing. Lissa sighed and I felt pensive and sad feelings through the bond. "A year. One year. I'm so glad you're back, though." she murmured and wrapped her thin arms around my shoulders, hugging me close. I lifted my right hand and placed it over her left arm, that was out near my neck as she held me.

"I'm not!" declared Christian involuntarily and I rolled my eyes. "Oh, shut up, Lord Ozera. You know you missed me." I smirked and he denied it once more before lifting the back door to get my luggage out with Dimitri. Sighing, I went to help them, and when the two brought the suitcase and bag out, I took the suitcase from Dimitri, not looking at him but I could feel his eyes on me. When I successfully ignored him, I placed the suitcase firmly on the ground and grabbed the handle with one hand, while the other went to take the black non-wheeled duffle bag to sling it over my shoulder, but Christian didn't let me.

"No, I'm such a good person that I'll carry this to your new room." he volunteered, very chivalrously. I rolled my eyes and smirked, "No, I don't want you to break your arms. Let the woman here handle it."

"You don't seem very woman-like to me." He retorted and I shot him a glare and threw the bag at him, making him stumble back to the point of almost falling back. "Yet you don't seem very manly to me." I teased mockingly and I stuck my tongue out at him.

I heard Lissa's exasperated sigh and I smiled innocently at her.

"I did arrange you a room here at Court. Next to mine." she informed, smiling and I smiled back. "Thanks for that, Liss. That saved me a lot of trouble." I said and she nodded. "...And you'll use it for a while, right? You're not leaving again?" she said, seriously and I decided to tease her a bit.

"Well I was thinking Egypt would make a good spot.." I trailed off and her jaw dropped. "Rose!" she exclaimed and I could tell I was about to receive a protest from the Dragomir Princess. I laughed, "I'm kidding, Liss. No. I'm not leaving any time soon." I assured her and she sagged in relief. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Dimitri relax and relief shone from his originally stoic face.

I resisted the urge to snort or scowl at the action that showed that he most likely did not want me to leave again, yet.. Something in me warmed up and that part of me made me want to smile.

No! You can't do this. Ignore him. Forget him. You have to. He will do nothing more than break your heart again. You can't let him. Not this time, my mind reprimanded me slowly and I nodded to myself. The inner voice was right. I had to strengthen my protective walls. I would not let Dimitri break them down

And with that, we walked into the main gate of the Moroi Royal Court.

Currently, it was 1PM, Moroi Time and the Court would be swarming with Moroi and their Guardians, or just other dhampirs that had things to do. I didn't want to stop or delay myself, I only had one mission: to get to my room, unpack and get situated. But, obviously, I got stopped from being led to my room when a familiar face rushed towards us.

"Rose!" called Adrian Ivashkov and my eyes immediately searched for the familiar voice. I saw him just in time for him to throw his arms around me and lift me up, spinning me around, causing a surprised yelp to leave my lips. While spinning in his arms, I could see many Moroi and dhampir stop what they were doing to stare at Adrian and I, and I also didn't miss how Dimitri had stiffened and how he began to shoot a death glare at Adrian. _He's jealous_ , I realized and I resisted my smirk. Hmm.. I could have some fun with that. So, feeling bold and daring, I wrapped my arms around his neck and he set me down, not removing his arms from my waist, but mine dropped from his neck. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see a very upset Dimitri glaring at Adrian's arms, which were wrapped around my waist. Dimitri looked like he wanted to tear them out of their sockets. Hmm...

"You're back! When did you arrive? Where were you?" Adrian showered me with questions, ignoring my friends and Dimitri. "Whoa, slow down there, Ivashkov. First of all, yes. I'm back. Second, like, a few hours ago and third, I was in Istanbul."

Adrian's eyes widened, he was stunned for a few seconds before regaining himself. "Istanbul." he repeated as if he was wasn't sure if he'd heard me right. I simply nodded and hummed my confirmation. "Wow.." he mouthed. I just shrugged before Lissa chimed in. "Were there lots of camels? I also hear Turkish girls are all..covered? Eh, not my thing." He finished with a careless shrug. We all openly gaped at him, and I scowled. "You racist pig." Adrian didn't looked phased.

Sensing the tension, Lissa didn't hesitate to butt in.

"Um, Adrian... If you don't mind, we have to take Rose to her room so.." I could tell she wasn't trying to be rude or anything, but through the bond, I could feel her nervousness, like she was trying to avoid something, and fast.

Further examination into the bond and her thoughts, I could feel she was worried about Dimitri. What? Why? He was right here and...

Oh.

Glancing over to Dimitri, I could see that he was about to explode. The murderous look he shot Adrian, along with his tense and rigid body, clenched jaw and hands fisted at his sides so tightly, his knuckles were white.

Backing away from Adrian, I could see from the corner of my eye that Dimitri had relaxed a bit, but he still looked like he wanted Adrian nowhere near me. Oh wow, he is jealous.

"That's fine." agreed Adrian and relief flooded through the bond. "As long as I can go along with little dhampir here." he added and Lissa frowned. "Well.. I.. Sure." Lissa sighed in defeat and some of Dimitri's tension returned. Adrian smiled, satisfied and a little cocky, then Lissa continued to lead us to my room. I could feel Dimitri's eyes on me, and I could literally see him shooting daggers at Adrian from behind us when the Royal Moroi threw his arm around my shoulders.

I immediately shrugged his arm off and scowled at him, noting not to let that Turkish comment slide so easily. "I missed you, Adrian. But not that much." I teased and he feigned hurt. Placing a hand over his heart, he said in a really dramatic way, "you wound me with your words, little dhampir."

I rolled my eyes and walked a little faster to get farther from Adrian, and mostly Dimitri. I now walked side by side next to Lissa and by the look on her face, I could tell we weren't far. When Lissa seemed to slow down, we were in Royal Long-Term Housing. Whoa. Lissa must've pulled a few strings to have me stay here, just so I could be close to her.

We stopped at a door and Lissa pulled out a key card as scanned it on the pad thing. Before I knew it, the door unlocked with a small click, and Lissa pushed it open. Four words

The room was gorgeous.

It had a flat screen t.v. on the wall across from the king sized bed - which was perfectly made and looked really comfortable. At the end of the bed on the floor, there was a small, two-seated black couch with one pillow on both ends. On the other side of the room, there was another love seat that looked really comfortable and cozy. Along with a small kitchen including an electric stove, a platinum silver sink, kitchen drawers both under and above the stove and sink. There was also a conventional oven and microwave. Across from the lovely bed was a double doored room that I believed was a closet. A working desk with a computer, lamp and extra working space with a comfortable looking wheeled office chair was placed near the floor under the t.v. and a white door that led to what I thought was the restroom also added to the quantity of the room, or rather, small apartment.

"What," began Adrian, scanning the room in awe. "The," added Christian, doing the same. I knew where this was going, so I added to the words. "Fuck." I finished and Lissa shot us a glare. "Language, children." she chided and I rolled my eyes back to the beautiful room.

"Seriously! What the fuck?! This is her room!?" exclaimed Christian and Lissa nodded. "Beautiful, isn't it? I'll take a 'thank you', Rose." she teased, looking at me. "You.. You arranged this?" I asked, incredulous. Lissa nodded proudly. "About a month ago. My room is about two doors away, so we'll be next to each other, my bodyguard." she smiled. That's right! Something told me I had pretty much renounced the 'Guardian' title when I left, so I promised Lissa that when I came back, I could just be her hired bodyguard.

"Liss... This is too much." I said, resigned. "Yeah, no sh*t." muttered Adrian involuntarily.

"Nonsense. This is your room and that's final. I worked to hard to get you to live in Royal Housing with me." Lissa said sternly and I sighed. "Thanks, Lissa." I smiled weakly at her. She grinned, "you're welcome. Now, we should let Rose unpack and get situated." Lissa announced and Adrian gulped. "Can I live here with you?" he asked me and I grimaced, while Dimitri tensed and Christian raised his eyebrows. "Um.. No, thank you. I'm good being alone here. Besides, you're the Queen's favorite nephew. This should look like nothing to you." I pointed out.

"I am her favorite nephew, but usually, I spend the night in other people's rooms, so I don't really have one." Adrian explained suggestively and Christian made a gagging sound.

"Which is all the more reason I don't want you to stay here at all. Leave, you man-whore." I grimaced and Adrian smirked. "Guilty as charged."

I groaned and Lissa's face twisted in disgust, while Dimitri stayed silent, but the disapproving and repulsed look he shot Adrian was well noticeable.

"Lissa's right, we should let Rose unpack and have some time to get used to her new room." Dimitri agreed with Lissa, finally speaking. I frowned and looked away from him, not saying anything in response or acknowledging his presence. I wanted him to leave, of all people. I didn't want to be around him. "Yeah.. Okay. Bye, Rosie. Welcome back to Pennsylvania." said Christian, dismissing himself and he walked out, but not before handing me my duffle bag. "Bye guys." I muttered and before I knew it, Adrian had left and Dimitri was gone, but not before giving me a look of longing, love and one that showed me how much he missed me. Ugh. He has to take the hint. I don't want him anymore. I can't be with someone who has hurt me as many times as he has.

Of course, I knew that deep down, I would always want him. But I could never have him. I would never have him.

The men and Christian leaving left only Lissa and I here. Ah..now I felt more comfortable. "Are you sure you'll be alright? You know, with.." she didn't have to say his name. I knew who she was talking about immediately, bond or no bond.

"Yes, Liss. I'll be perfectly fine. I am perfectly fine. Don't worry about me." I assured her. I could feel how much she wanted to help me and how she didn't believe that I was fine. Groaning inwardly, I forced a smile and tried again. "Lissa, i'm fine. I don't need him. I just need to focus on you." I said firmly and I felt a pang of guilt and disagreement through the bond.

"But, Rose.. You're my best friend and I want you to be happy. You still love him and he loves yo-"

"No." I interrupted her firmly and a bit harsher than I intended. It didn't phase her, but she was taken aback by my firm denial about our "feelings" for each other.

"He doesn't love me. Not truly. Otherwise, he wouldn't have hurt me so many times. And... I don't love him. I can't and I won't. I won't let myself fall in love with him again." I wasn't sure who I was trying to convince now. Lissa or me.

"You can't help who you fall in love with, Rose. I can see you're still in love with him. Your aura.. It shines so brightly around him. But it's edged with red for anger and purple for hurt. Your aura is like the sun around him, though, and so is his." she tried once more and I shook my head, trying not to take the information too seriously or let it get to me. "No.. He hurt me and I don't trust him. I can't. Not anymore. Don't... Don't worry about me, Lissa. I'm fine."

I felt pain through the bond. Emotional, sympathetic pain. It hurt her to see me 'hurting', and being Lissa, she wanted to help me. But this wasn't something that Lissa could just heal with Spirit magic. The pain I felt when I looked at Dimitri wasn't physical, it was emotional - and it hurt a lot more than any physical pain I'd felt because Lissa could always heal broken bones or scratches or bruises. But Lissa couldn't heal my broken heart. My broken soul. Admittedly, only Dimitri could do that, and I hated that he was the only one who I felt who could. I wouldn't let him, though. I couldn't let him. He had broken my heart much times before, what's to stop him from doing it again? I had put my heart on the line for him so many times, and I wouldn't do it again.

Never again.

 **[….]**

 **A/N: Hello! How was it? Did you like it?**

 **Poor Rose, poor Dimitri.. They're both suffering from soulmate withdraw!**

 **Well, Rose is back in Pennsylvania and she's already seen Christian and Adrian again! How will the other friends and people react to her grand return after one year? How will the lethal Guardian Janine Hathaway react? And will Romitri ever get back together? Well.. That's for me to know and you to find out, but.. If they do, (IF), there's still gotta be lots of wallowing and feeling-explosion before! But Rose isn't going to forgive Dimitri so easily, so how will Dimitri try to win Rose back?**

 **Sorry if this chapter is short and not my best work, but from here on out, I will try to make the chapters longer and drama-filled now that the story is taking its true path.**

 **A bit of Jealous Dimitri in this chapter, eh? How do you think our Russian god will react when he sees his Roza all friendly and happy with a certain man named Ethan? Oops! I'm getting a little ahead of myself! You'll just have to read to find out.**

 **PLEASE rate and review!**

 **Stay Beautiful!**

 **||RozaBelikov1996||**


	5. Chapter 5: The Heart Wants What It Wants

**! ! !:** **To the Guest that pointed out the very racist and insensitive comment about Turkey that Adrian made in the last chapter, I thought it'd be best if I cleared out here that I had NO intentions of offending Turkish people or the country in the entirety – or anyone for that matter. I love everyone and if any of you lovely people were offended, I'm deeply sorry. Okay, now let's get on with the story:**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own the world of VA or any of the recognizable characters. I just own THIS Fanfic's plot. All other credit goes to the lovely Richelle Mead.**

 **Chapter 5: The Heart Wants What It Wants**

 **~X~**

 **RPOV**

 **"WELL, WELL,** well.. If it isn't Rose Hathaway, back from her long leave of absence to God-knows-where." smirked Eddie with his arms crossed over his chest. I rolled my eyes and put my hands on my hips. "You know, a nice 'welcome back' would be nice, Edward Castile." I joked and Eddie frowned. "That's not my name." he pointed out. I smirked. "I know."

Sighing in defeat, he took me in his strong arms and hugged me cordially, resting his defined jaw on my shoulder. I wrapped my arms around his body and my eyes widened. "Wow, Eddie. Have you been working out more? I can barely wrap my arms around you." I noticed teasingly and he chuckled, "can you tell? Yes I have." he boasted and I rolled my eyes. It had been a small exaggeration, but there was truth in it. Eddie wasn't buff, but he was muscular and his body was packed with strength and stamina after years of Dhampir Guardian training, but it was obvious he hit the gym regularly since the last time I saw him.

"I missed you, Rose." he whispered and my heart warmed, causing its best reaction to a person in the two days I'd been back. Aside from Lissa. "I missed you too, Eddie." I murmured and he hugged me tighter before releasing me. "Alright. Now lets spar." he suggested and I was a little taken aback by his sudden suggestion. "Now? Here?" I asked and he rolled his eyes playfully. "Yes, Rose. Right here in front of all the Moroi and important papers on desks and the expensive decor." Eddie said sarcastically and I grunted in response. "The gym, Rose." he revealed in a 'duh' voice and I shrugged. "Sure, then. But why all of a sudden?" I questioned as we began to walk to the work out place.

Eddie smirked. "I want to see if you've kept up with training over the year. I wanna see if you're still the same kick ass lethal Rose Hathaway."

"Well, Edison. I can assure you, I have kept up with training and I'm still just as lethal and dangerous, so watch out." I warned. "I like a challenge." Eddie said smugly.

Oh, a challenge I would put up.

 **[….]**

 **"DEAD." I** announced for the third time in a row as I straddled my friend and poised my practice stake over his heart, only a few inches away from his protective vest.

He groaned and I climbed off him. We were both covered in a thin layer of sweat and our breathing was coming out in pants after how hard we'd been working. Eddie and I had four rounds of sparring. Even though he won the first one, I had won the last three. He stood up and I smirked at him, "did I prove that I'm still the same lethal, deadly Rose Hathaway? If not better?" I teased and he grunted. "One more round." he ordered stubbornly and I rolled my eyes.

"Just admit it, Edison. I'm better at hand-to-hand combat than you are." I smirked and Eddie shook his head. "I let you win." he claimed and I narrowed my eyes at him. "Not true, you liar. I'm just that good." I said confidently and Eddie rolled his eyes and took a fighting stance across from me. "One more round and this time, I won't go so easy on you, Hathaway." he challenged and I took a stance, mimicking him. "You're on, Castile."

After about a long, thirteen to fifteen minute spar, I was able to drop down and use my long legs to trip him, causing him to plummet to the mat on his back. I took the opportunity to try and pin him down, but before I could declare him as 'dead', he managed to push me off him and before I knew it, he was on top of me, about to go for the kill, which I could not allow.

The looseness of his one handed grip on both my wrists gave me the opportunity to elbow him on his jaw. He grunted and his grip loosened, so I took advantage of that. I flipped us over and took the practice stake he dropped when I elbowed him and in a flash, I had it poised over his heart. "Dead." I gasped out and he sagged in frustration. I smirked, proud and I climbed off my friend and helped him up.

"Why? Why can't I beat you?" he demanded, still frustrated as he ran a hand through his hair in agitation. I smiled evily. "You've never been able to beat me at St. Vlads, so why would you now?"

Eddie narrowed his eyes and glared at me, "I beat you the first round." he pointed out and I raised my eyebrows. "Oh? But I beat you the last four." I returned and he grunted in response. "Whatever. I gotta get back to my charge." he announced, and I frowned. "Who's your charge, Castile?" I asked. "Noah Tarus. Lord Noah Tarus." he revealed and I nodded. I didn't know much about the Tarus royal family, just that the Tarus prince, Rufus Tarus, was one snobby Royal.

But, then again, most Royals were.

Even though the Tarus Prince wasn't exactly my favorite Royal, I knew better than to judge one person based on their family. "Huh. Well, thanks for the small pastime and now I gotta go shower. Bye, Eddie. It was nice seeing you." I smiled genuinely at him and Eddie nodded. "It was nice to see you too, Rose. Welcome back." he said. We were both sweaty and breathing heavily from our spar session, and I wanted nothing more than to cool down with a nice shower, considering how sweaty and smelly I felt.

Soon after, we left and went our separate ways, Eddie to his charge and I to go shower. I still had yet to get used to my gorgeous mini-apartment and I thought the shower was heavenly. I never had luxurious things, and truth was, I didn't want them. I didn't need them, but thanks to Lissa, I was able to have a small taste of that.

After my shower, I got a text from Lissa, saying to meet her at the main gate because she had gotten a small shopping trip and she convinced her actual Guardian to let me come along as extra protection. I quickly changed into a simple black tank top with a black leather jacket and trousers, finished with my black combat boots. I left my hair down and for emergencies, I carried my stake with me, but had it concealed in a pocket from the inside of my leather jacket.

I rushed outside to the main gate and sure enough, Lissa was there with an umbrella to protect her porcelain skin from the sun. A female guardian was there with her, one I'd never seen before but I figured she was Lissa's assigned guardian. I was her hired guardian.

"Rose!" squealed Lissa when she saw me and I smiled at my best friend before giving her a quick hug. I looked at her guardian and smiled politely before extending my hand out to her, which she took with no hesitation. "Hi, I'm Rose Hathaway." I introduced myself.

"Guardian Zara Buchanan, but you can call me Zara. It's nice to meet you, Rose." she said formally, and I could hear a trace of a Scottish accent in her words which reminded me of my mother. I nodded, "Likewise."

Zara was admittedly really pretty with her straight flaming red hair that reached a little past her shoulders and her pale blue eyes that weren't common in dhampirs. She was young, maybe, maybe mid-twenties, and she stood about at my height.

Zara wore the same formal guardian outfit that every other female guardian wore and she seemed like she had a well built body that was packed with strength and speed, but in a way, I wanted to see her in battle, just to evaluate whether I could trust her with the life of my best friend while I couldn't be there to protect her.

"We should get going, Princess. We should reach town during human shopping hours, and make it just in time for you to catch a full nights' sleep." Zara announced, looking at Lissa and she nodded. "Okay, Guardian Buchanan. Come on, Rose. Let's go." Lissa said, turning to me and I nodded in agreement. We walked to the black SUV and Zara opened the side door for Lissa to get in. I was thinking about getting in the passenger seat, but I figured it would be safer to sit with Lissa. Zara could have the passenger seat.

When I climbed in the back with Lissa, I was able to see a man sitting at the driver's seat. A man I'd never seen before, but he was a Dhampir and I figured he was a Guardian. Lissa's second guardian.

My suspicions were confirmed when Lissa's voice spoke in my head. 'That guy, driving, is my other Guardian. His name is Adam and he's not very talkative.' she explained when she saw the curious look on my face. Understanding peaked in me and I nodded. The man, Adam, looked back at Lissa and I, well Lissa, and nodded politely at her.

"Princess. How are you today?" Asked Adam and Lissa smiled. "I'm fine, Guardian Davis, thank you. And how are you today?" she asked kindly. "Good, thank you." he replied before his eyes went over to me.

Oh, there's my cue. "Hi, I'm Rose Hathaway. Lis- The Princess's hired Guardian." I introduced myself with a nod. "Guardian Davis. It's nice to meet you, Rose."

"Likewise."

Guardian Davis turned his torso back to face front, and Zara was sitting on the passenger seat with him, quiet and attentive, just like all Guardians were trained to be.

"Where are we going?" he asked Zara quietly, but I could hear. "Town. The Princess wants to go to the mall."

Guardian Davis nodded and put the key in the ignition, starting the car.

And that's how I was in a black SUV for over an hour for the second time in a week.

 **[….]**

 **WHEN WE** arrived at the shopping mall, Zara and I were near guard, while Guardian Davis was more afar, searching the place for any threats to Lissa. It was unlikely that a Strigoi would just come out of nowhere or some crazy person would deem her as a threat and do something stupid, but it wasn't impossible. Even in a human shopping mall.

Weirdly enough, this reminded me of a time back in our senior year of high school at St. Vladimir's, when we had gone on a shopping trip before a school dance. The trip to Missoula for the mall was arranged by now sworn enemy, Victor Dashkov. Victor had bought me a necklace that he bathed in a lust charm that caused Dimitri and I to get "distracted", while the sick bastard kidnapped Lissa and tried to force her to heal him by torturing her.

Victor was soon arrested and sentenced to life in prison, but events from a year ago led me to break him out, but he was now back in the prison to rot there. He deserved it.

Shaking my head, I dismissed the thoughts from my mind and focused on where we were now. In a human shopping mall, with Lissa.

"Oh! Look, Rose!" exclaimed Lissa, looking at something on her right side. I snapped out of all my thoughts and whipped my head where Lissa was looking. And I nearly groaned out loud.

What kind of mall has a pet store just right there in plain sight?

And Lissa, with her bleeding heart and great love for animals, she just absolutely had to go inside. You see, animals don't like dhampirs. Don't ask me why; I don't know, but I seriously did not want dogs barking at me, cats hissing at me and snakes showing off what amazing fangs they had. Lissa had fangs, so if the little fuckers wanted a fang contest, we would have one.

"Can we go inside? Please?" Lissa asked pleadingly and before I could protest, Zara said, "of course, Princess." Then she looked back at where Guardian Davis was and with a nod of her head, she signaled the pet store. Guardian Davis - Adam - nodded in permission and agreement.

We went inside.

I was immediately hit by the unpleasant smell of animal feces and feed. I tried my best not to groan or grimace in disgust at the scent. Lissa didn't seem disgusted at all, quite the contrary, actually. She loved animals and being in this small store filled with rabbits, puppies, kittens, and other animals made her heart feel like it was about to explode. Lissa gasped when she saw a Russian Blue kitten, about the size of her hand. How did I know the breed? It said it on a small notecard that was attached to the small fence.

"Oh my gosh, they're so cute!" Lissa squealed like a small child and she walked to the cage and pressed her hands on the edge, then leaned foward to get a better look at the small kittens.

Russian Blues. Russian. Damn, was everything going to remind me of Dimitri?! Nice way to associate an entire country with one man, Rose.

I sighed and placed my hands on her upper arm and gently held her back. "Careful, Liss. These fur balls might have diseases." I muttered, just loud enough so she could hear.

"Nonsense," she chided. "It says on the information card that they have all their shots and they're old enough for adoption." there was a suggestive note in her voice that trailed off. Then I got it. My eyes widened and I shook my head.

"No, No. You can't get a cat, Lissa." I said sternly and Lissa turned around and pouted. "Why? Please, Rose!" she whined and I looked at her pointedly. "You know why." I murmured and she looked at Zara desperately.

"Are there any rules against having a pet at... Home?" she asked, and Zara knew by 'Home', she meant Court.

"U-um.. I believe you can have a pet, but they must stay in your room." Zara replied and I felt a spark of hope through the bond. Lissa turned to me. "See? Zara said it's not against the rules. So can I get one?" she asked pleadingly, giving me puppy dog eyes.

"I..." I was at a loss for words. I didn't know what to say. Nervously, I glanced at Zara and she shrugged. I sighed in defeat and turned my head to Lissa. "Fine. But-" she cut me off with a squeal of delight. "But.." I said again and she sobered up. "But, what?"

"You keep that hairball away from me at all times." I said warningly and she nodded. "Promise." she vowed seriously and in a flash, she was at the desk, talking to a lady.

"She loves animals, does she?" Zara asked softly and I nodded. "Yes, and they love her. But they don't like us." I replied, putting an emphasis on the word 'us.' She knew what I meant. Dhampirs. Animals didn't like dhampirs.

Lissa came back with the lady from the desk, looking extremely happy and excited. I could feel her joy, and it poured into me. I involuntarily smiled at how happy she was. And if it took a cat to make her like this, then so be it. If she was happy, I was happy; both literally and figuratively.

After about ten minutes of signing papers and adoption information, the cat was officially Lissa's - and she was already in love with it. I believed the feeling was mutual.

"Hello, kitty. You're coming home with me and I'm going to take good care of you." Lissa promised the small kitten as she held it to her chest in a protective yet tender manner.

I rolled my eyes but the scene warmed my heart. I could feel that she already loved the small kitten very much. Christian had some competition. Ha!

"So.." I began casually as we walked out of the pet store. "What are you going to name the little puss-"

Lissa shot me a sharp glare, cutting off my profanity. I smirked and Lissa's eyes narrowed at me. "Watch your language around my kitten, Rose." Lissa rebuked warningly and disapprovingly. I rolled my eyes, "whatever. Besides, not like it understands." I muttered and Lissa's glare turned a bit offensive. Weird. I wasn't even insulting her.

"She. It's a she. And her name is Fuzzy." she announced and I stifled a laugh. "Fuzzy? Her name is Fuzzy? I think you can do better than that."

Lissa frowned and looked down at her small sleeping kitten. "What about.. Blue?" she suggested, gently massaging the top of the kitten's head, earning a content purr in response. Wow. She got a response from the sleeping kitten.

"Very original." I said sarcastically and she pouted. "Well, I don't know! What about Addy?" Lissa tried again hastily.

I shrugged and decided to do what Zara and Adam were doing - protecting Lissa. I should be scanning the area for any threats that could endanger the life of my best friend and hired charge; not thinking of names for her new kitten. That was her job.

Seeing that I wasn't going to answer, Lissa shrugged as well. "Alright. Addy it is." she decided and looked down at her kitten. "Hi, Addy. Sleep well because right now, we're going to have to be in a car for a long time and I want to play with you."

Oh yeah, she was completely smitten with that cat. I wonder how Christian would feel about that..

I guess I will find out soon...

 **[….]**

 **"FOR THE** love of God, will you put that cat down for two seconds! The poor thing just wants to sleep!" exclaimed Christian in exasperation and frustration. Lissa pouted, but complied and gently set Addy next to her on the couch. "Thank you!" said Christian.

"I think you're just jealous because Lissa is paying more attention to a cat, then to you." I pointed out, smirking. Christian looked at me, incredulous. "I'm not jealous! I am just looking out for the kitten." he claimed.

"Uh huh, whatever you say, Pyro." I taunted and Christian rolled his eyes.

"Wow, the Christian Ozera is jealous of a kitten. Now that's priceless." joked Eddie and Christian groaned, his face starting to go a bright red.

We were currently in Lissa's room, and by 'we', I mean Eddie, Christian, Lissa, Addy, Mia and me. We were simply talking and Christian was 'subtly' bitching over Lissa paying more attention to Addy than she did him, and it was hilarious.

"What's that smell?" asked Eddie as a new scent filled the air. It smelled... Warm.. And delicious. Like something sweet and very tasty. Chocolatey and...

"BROWNIES!" I gasped and before I knew it, I stumbled off the couch and rushed to where the scent was strongest. It was the oven. Oh god, did they smell heavenly! I wanted to just eat them up and-

"Rose! Hang on! They aren't ready yet!" said Lissa as she quickly approached me before I could just take the brownies out and eat them right here, right now. Regardless of how hot they were or swallowing-first rules.

I pouted. "But Liss.." I whined and she silenced me. "No buts. Go wait for them to be finished." she ordered and I grumbled before complying and walking sulkily back to where our friends were, Lissa not far behind me.

"Ugh, brownies. How can you like them? They're so... Chocolately and are often gooey." Mia grimaced and I gaped at her in shock and offense. "Yeah, chocolately and gooey. EXACTLY why they're so tasty!" I said and Mia shook her head, a look of disgust on her face. "Ew. How can you stand them? They're so disgusting."

Before I could yell at her for blaspheming against brownies, (which were practically sent by God), someone burst in, making all our heads whip in the direction of the front door that had been opened in a flash. And I almost groaned when I saw who it was.

"Did someone say 'unearthly handsome'? Because here I am!" said the voice of the cocky, arrogant Adrian Ivashkov. Christian gagged and Mia frowned at him in disapproval, but I actually said something.

"Um, no. But, Mia said, 'Ew' then you entered, but frankly I'm not surprised." I smiled sweetly. My joke caused my friends and Christian to laugh, except for Adrian.

He feigned a look of hurt and placed a hand over his heart, clutching his shirt as he looked at me. "You wound me deeply with your mean words, Little dhampir, but alas: My heart will never start beating for you."

I snorted and rolled my eyes. "This isn't a poetry meet, Ivashkov."

"Either way, I will deal with your verbal abuse in the manly way because the heart wants what it wants, and mine wants you." he said suggestively and I raised my eyebrows.

"Oh? Well too bad. Mine doesn't want you." I shot back mercilessly. Adrian looked smug as he said, "you're right. Because it wants Belikov."

I froze. I could see Christian's and Mia's confused and shocked expressions, Lissa's concerned one and Eddie's upset one. But I had now spaced out. Dimitri... Did my heart want Dimitri? Still? I was trying to convince myself that I didn't want him anymore, and I avoided him every chance I got. It was working, until Adrian had to bring him up.

Adrian's face immediately showed regret and he looked like he was mentally cursing his stupidity. Good. I was as well.

Without thinking, I shot up off the couch and made my way to the front door. I needed to be alone. Thanks for ruining my good mood, Adrian.

"Wait, Rose-" Adrian said as he reached out for me when I was about to pass him. I immediately jerked away and jumped back about two feet, holding my hands up. "No. Don't touch me. Leave me alone." I ordered coldly and I hardly recognized my own voice. It was hard and almost aloof. Adrian's expression turned pained.

"Rose.." he pleaded. "I didn't mean it like that, I promise."

I gritted my teeth together. "It doesn't fucking matter. I'm going back to my room. None of you follow me." I said sternly and I didn't stick around to see or hear what they said next. I stormed out of Lissa's room and hurried to my own, thanking God that it was only two doors away.

When I was inside, I slammed the door shut behind me and before I knew it, I was sobbing. Big, painful and angry sobs racked my body and I sank to the floor, holding my head in my hands.

 _Dimitri.. Ugh, why couldn't I just get over him and stop caring? It had been over a year and I still was pining over him._

I had tried my best to move on from him, telling myself that he didn't love me and I didn't love him, that I had to move on but I couldn't. It felt almost impossible to get over someone who held such a significant place in my life, who had held my heart and soul and probably still did, and I hated that.

I guess I had try harder.

 **[….]**

 **A/N: Poor Rose! She's having problems getting over Dimitri, but does Dimitri want her to do that? (I know I don't) And what will he do to prevent his Roza from getting over him?**

 **I tried to put some humor in this chapter - nothing too big but just something to lighten the mood, and I brought back Eddie and Mia in this chapter! Oh, and is Christian really jealous of little Addy?**

 **And how will Adrian make it up to Rose?**

 **All these questions will be answered in the next chapter of "In A Year" !**

 **REVIEW PLEASE!**

 **Xoxo,**

 **||RozaBelikov1996||**


	6. Ch6: Actions Speak Louder Than Words

**!:** **I just wanted to start this chapter off with a HUGE thanks to all of you for your kind reviews and URGH I love you all so much! Updates will be VERY frequent, like twice a day because I'm trying to catch this publication with the one I have on Wattpad, so when they're equal, I'll update like a sane freaking writer (;**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own the world of VA or any of the recognizable characters. I just own THIS Fanfic's plot. All other credit goes to the lovely Richelle Mead!**

 **Chapter 6: Actions Speak Louder Than Words.**

 **~X~**

 **LPOV**

 **"ADRIAN, YOU** big idiot!" I scolded Adrian after Rose stormed out of the room. "Why in the world would you say that!?"

Adrian looked at me, guilt evident in his face. "I.. I have to go follow her."

"No! She said not to follow her. She needs time alone. Let her think this through." I said, still angry at Adrian. "Wait." Christian blurted out and I looked over at him. Oh crap. Adrian practically revealed Rose's deepest secret to Christian and Mia, but Eddie didn't even look confused or shocked. Did he already know?

Realizing what he had done, Adrian's face paled. "Rose likes Belikov? As in, Dimitri Belikov? That Belikov?" Christian asked incredulously and I bit my lower lip. "No. She loves him. I can see it in her aura, no matter how much she denies it. But, he hurt her badly and she acts like she hates him." I explained. Christian shook his head like he was trying to drink in the shock and sudden news of what I was saying while Mia just stared at me like I was crazy.

"He hurt her... So.. He doesn't like her back?" Christian suggested slowly. I shook my head, "no, no, no. He does. He loves her.. But.." I sighed in resignation. "It's a long story, they love each other, but Rose doesn't realize that Dimitri regrets hurting her and she still loves him."

I looked over at Eddie, whose face was impassive. Even if he didn't know that Rose and Dimitri were in love - and still are, his 'Guardian Mask' would still be up, not showing any emotion. God, sometimes he was as stoic as Dimitri.

"Guys, let's not talk about this right now. I have to go apologize to Rose for being a dick." Adrian muttered, turning around to go to the front door.

"No!" I shrieked and everyone in the room jumped at the sound of my voice, startled. Even my tiny baby kitten, Addy's head shot up from her slumber.

I immediately felt bad for waking my baby up in such a manner, and I looked down, and began running my hand along her midnight blue fur, from her delicate head to her tiny body and repeated the motion until she fell back asleep.

"She said for no one to follow her. Let her have some alone time." I ordered and Adrian looked resigned. "We all know that the only person who can fix that is Dimitri. How in the world can we get them back together?" Adrian pondered and I shook my head, but Christian's jaw dropped. "Rose was in a relationship with her ex-instructor?!" he exclaimed and I looked at him wearily, silently telling him to just leave it alone. He got the message and stayed quiet, but the confusion, outrage and bit of understanding was still on his face.

"Wait - I know Rose has never really been easy or exactly the best rule follower, but being in a relationship with a former instructor? That's a bit to far, even for her." Mia pointed out and I glared at her. "Guys, be quiet. Keep it down. Someone can hear us!" I hissed.

Looking back at Adrian, I remembered his previous question. "Adrian.. This isn't something that can be fixed in a day. And Rose is convincing herself that she doesn't love Dimitri anymore. This isn't something we can interfere with.."

"That's bullshit! Rose is heart broken after what Dimitri did to her, and it's clearly evident in her aura and her eyes. I can see it. We have to get them back together but Belikov is too much of a dumbass and coward to go talk to her!" Adrian shouted and I flinched.

"What did Dimitri do to her?" Christian demanded, anger and menace clear in his voice and icy eyes. There it was, he confirmed my suspicions. I knew Rose and Christian cared about each other deep down, and they saw each other as siblings. That's why they argued too much.

"The Russian dipshit broke her heart by telling her he didn't love her anymore when he was restored." Adrian revealed grudgingly. "Adrian!" I hissed. Damn. We were revealing all of Rose's deepest secrets right here. Secrets I promised to keep secret.

"That jackass! I'm going to kill him." Christian growled. That's it. "No, you're not! None of us are going to interfere with their problems. It's something they have to work out, but give Rose time! She just got back! You know how stubborn she is, do you think she'd just forgive him so easily?" I asked loudly and Adrian shook his head. "No, but I'm going to have a talk with our little Russian friend." he said icily.

He was out the door before I could protest.

 **[….]**

 **RPOV**

 **AFTER A** while of crying, my tears dried up and I felt as if all my energy had been drained - both mentally, physically, and emotionally. I just felt exhausted and I hated myself for allowing that moment of weakness and vulnerability.

 _Pathetic,_ I thought bitterly, standing up off the floor with my legs a little wobbly. Once I steadied myself, I scolded myself. _That was pathetic, Rose. You promised yourself you wouldn't cry over him again. What the fuck was that?!_

Taking a deep breath, I walked to my luxurious and incredibly comfortable bed and crawled under the duvet. My last thought before going to sleep was,

 _I don't love him anymore. I can't._

 _I can't._

 **[….]**

 **DPOV**

 **"BELIKOV."**

A gruff and icy voice said from behind me. Turning around, I saw Adrian Ivashkov standing there.

I tried not to groan at the sight of him, but I suppressed it and kept all emotion off my face. "Lord Ivashkov," I greeted formally, yet stiffly at the same time.

Adrian glared at me, those emerald green eyes piercing me and I immediately realized something was definitely wrong, and it made Adrian angry. With me.

"Save me your formal bullshit, Belikov." He growled and I was taken aback by his tone of voice and verbal aggressiveness. "Excuse me?" I asked, trying to keep my voice void of any emotion.

"One word. Rose."

Hearing her name was like taking a stake to my heart. Rose. Roza. _My_ Roza.

"What about her?" I responded, my pain seeping into my voice.

Adrian scowled. "You messed her up. She was doing fine until you got restored and then refused to see her, breaking her heart in the process. Because of that, she left for a year and now she's not the same! It's your fault because you don't know how to appreciate someone's love when you got it!" he shouted and I clenched my jaw. Right now was not the time to discuss this, especially not here, openly at Court.

Yet, something in me broke when I thought back to how much I hurt Rose. These past few days, I've been trying to reach out to her when I got the chance, visiting her room and asking to talk, finding any excuse to speak with her and purposely _running into her_ ' here at Court. But every time, she always coldly turned me away, saying she didn't want to speak about the past and that she didn't want to see me, and every time she turned me away or rejected me, I felt my heart break a little more.

But I wouldn't give up on her, on us. I couldn't. I made a terrible mistake by hurting her and I regretted it so, so much. I would give anything, anything in the world to have her back in my arms. Or to turn back time and ran into hers when Lissa restored me.

"I.. I never wanted to hurt her.. But she refuses to see me now." I said, my facade falling. I sounded vulnerable and the pain, regret and guilt was evident in my voice. I hated being this vulnerable and open with my feelings – it wasn't something I was used to.

"I know you didn't want to, but you did anyways! And now she's not the same. We need the old Rose back and you're the only person that could bring her back." He admitted, not seeming very happy with what he was saying.

"How can I? She refuses to see or talk to me," I countered.

"You're giving up? Already?" asked Adrian, with a mix of disbelief and outrage.

"No. Never. I won't give up on her." I promised fiercely. Adrian looked almost satisfied. Almost.

"Then go to her! Actions speak louder than words, you know."

I sighed, "how? She'll just slam the door in my face again. I need a different approach."

"You're right. Rose is stubborn." he chuckled to himself dryly and I smiled fondly at memories of how stubborn Roza was back at the academy at times. Oh, that was my Rose. She never admitted defeat in anything. Whether in battle or if she was wrong. Just another thing I loved about her.

"Okay, I'll help you." Adrian said suddenly, snapping me out of my Rose-induced reverie. I blinked. "What?"

"I'll help you win her back." He clarified and I frowned. Adrian. How could Adrian help me win Rose back? Why would he help me win Rose back?

"I.. Why?" I asked and immediately mentally cursed myself for it. Adrian sighed in defeat. "Because she loves you. She does. No matter what she says or does. She still loves you, no matter how many times you've broken her heart." He added darkly and instead of dwelling on the fact that I did hurt her a lot, my heart took a leap of joy when I heard that she loved me. Still.

"She... She does?" I asked in disbelief and amazement. "But.. How do you know?"

"Her aura," He responded simply. Ah. That's right. Adrian was a Spirit user. They could see auras and 'dream-stalk', as Rose called it.

"You see, Rose's aura has always fascinated me, and confused the shit out of me. Back at the academy, it was always tinged with darkness, like she had a shadow following her." Adrian's eyes turned far-off, as he recalled memories from us back at St. Vladimir's.

I felt my mood drop when I heard about Adrian's description of the darkness that always followed Rose.

"It's like she couldn't escape it, and when she was angry or annoyed, the darkness grew and mixed in with the negative emotions, making her express her feelings more... Openly and amplifying the original anger or depression." He continued and I listened intently. _Oh, Roza.._

"But... When she was around you, her aura would shine so brightly, like the sun, and it lessened the outline of darkness. The same with yours, except yours didn't have that darkness. Until.." His voice trailed off and I knew where this was going. I had this talk with Lissa a while back.

"Until..." I encouraged him to continue, even though I knew he was going to bring up the time after I'd been restored.

"Until you.. Came back. Your aura was like a thunderstorm of guilt, depression, self-despising feelings that made it darker and more haunted than I'd ever seen. Those feelings increased when you would see Rose, I could see it for myself. You hated yourself for what you did to her as a Strigoi - even though I'm not entirely sure what those things were."

I flinched. This was a sore subject for me, and thinking back to the cold, aloof and almost cruel way I treated Rose. And yet, through it all... She refused to give up. She was like an angel. My angel. She claimed to have forgiven me for all the horrible things I did to her in Siberia. I never believed her then, telling myself that she couldn't forgive me. There was no forgiveness for my ruthless actions. If God Himself didn't even forgive me, I wouldn't be surprised and I wouldn't blame Him. I certainly didn't expect Him or Rose to, but she kept persistent with me, not giving up no matter what I told her. Until... Until that day in the church. I had broken her heart severely and I lost her that day. The large hurt and disbelief on her face when I told her those four words would forever haunt me, and they still did. I had nightmares regarding that day, most of them being her leaving and somehow getting killed by the Strigoi, and it was always my fault because I couldn't save her on time. And I always made it to watch her die.

"Yet, even though you weren't consciously aware of it, you still loved her. Your aura lit up a bit around her because your soul remembered hers. It still loved her, no matter what you claimed." Adrian went on and I looked down.

"I was trying to protect her." I murmured and Adrian glared. "And you broke her heart in the process."

My head hung in shame and guilt, but Adrian continued to speak. "She needs you, Belikov. And you sure as hell need her."

He wasn't wrong there. I did need Rose, and it was very evident – so much so, it was almost physically painful.

"That's why I'm going to help you win her back." He finished and I looked up at him. "Why... Why would you help me?" I questioned hesitantly and Adrian stared at me. "Because... I love Rose. And I want her to be happy. The only way she can be happy is if she's with you. So that's why."

I stared at him in disbelief and wonder. Wow... While I wasn't very happy about Adrian loving my woman, I was impressed with him. For the first time in the entire time I'd known him, Adrian was actually acting his age. He seemed like a mature man right now, not an irresponsible, careless womanizer.

Recovering from my thoughts, I smiled weakly, hoping to show my gratitude. "Okay. But.. What do I do?"

Adrian smirked, satisfied. "Glad you asked, Belikov."

He pulled out a small black box from his pocket and I frowned in confusion. He opened it and it revealed a small silver charm bracelet. He handed it to me and I took the box in my hands, examining the bracelet. From what I saw, there were seven small charms connected to the bracelet. From what I could make out, they were shaped like a lightning bolt, a star, a.. Rock, a fire, one that seemed to look like water waves, another was shaped like lines with curved ends, resembling wind blowing and a flower shaped charm that had curled 'petals' with a small dot in between each 'petal'. Hmm..

Oh. Oh! Each charm stood for a symbol of the five elements Moroi could use and the marks dhampirs earned after a kill.

The lightning bolt stood more the molnija marks, small jagged x shaped tattoos that resembled lightning bolts.

The star stood for the zvezda mark, or the battle mark. Given to dhampirs when they fought in a battle with Strigoi and killed too many to be counted. Many zvezda marks were given to the guardians who fought bravely in the St. Vladimir's attack. I would've received one if I hadn't been...turned and Rose would've as well if she hadn't withdrawn from the academy to go hunt me down.

The other charms symbolized the elements Moroi could use. Water, Air, Earth, Fire, and the most recent one discovered and the rarest, Spirit. The flower shaped one symbolized the Spirit users.

Well, that was creative.

Hesitantly and carefully, I ran a finger along the small bracelet and I felt a tingle shoot through me. Like a flush of cold, then hot. I gasped in surprise and almost dropped the box, but I held it tight. I looked up at Adrian, who was smirking slyly. That's when I got it. This wasn't just a charm bracelet, it was a charmed charm bracelet. It was charmed with Spirit.

"What? What is this for?" I asked, the feeling of warmth leaving my body.

"Rose. I'm going to give it to her and not tell her it's charmed with Spirit, though she might find out anyways. Its use is to keep the darkness away from her, so when you see her again, she won't blow up because of the Spirit." Adrian explained and I nodded in understanding. Rose might still refuse to see me or yell at me, but at least it wouldn't be caused due to the Spirit darkness. I wouldn't give up on us.

Handing the bracelet back to Adrian, I nodded again. "So, what's the plan?"

"Good question. Alright, here's what you're going to do..."

 **[….]**

 **A/N: Whoo! So Adrian and Dimitri are teaming up so Rose can forgive and be with Dimitri, will they succeed, or fail miserably? ;)**

 **I'm sorry my dear readers that the chapter is short, but I wanted it to end where it did. The next chapter should be up soon!** **(:**

 **What do you think will happen next? What are Dimitri and Adrian planning for operation Get-Rose-To-Forgive-Dimitri ? Both men are very creative and persuasive, but is it enough for our strong- headed, stubborn Rosie?**

 **Also, I'm sorry Rose is a bit OOC and she's more sensitive and emotional than the badass strong Rose Hathaway we're used to, but she's still nursing a broken heart and the Spirit darkness is a strong contributor to that.**

 **Please Review! Constructive criticism is always welcome!**

 **Xoxo,**

 **||RozaBelikov1996||**

 **TRANSLATION (S)**

 **"Molnija" = Russian for 'Lightning'**

 **"Zvezda" = Russian for 'star'**


	7. Chapter 7: Prank?

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own the world of VA or any of the recognizable characters. I just own THIS Fanfic's plot. All other credit goes to the lovely Richelle Mead 💖

 **Chapter 7: Prank?**

 **~X~**

 **RPOV**

 **"I DON'T** know what I'm going to do.." I murmured into the phone, rubbing my temples with my free hand.

"Do you want to come back? Or we can go over there.." Ethan said softly and I bit mylower lip. "I can't. But if you guys can come here, then please do." I sighed and fell back onto the bed. "I'll talk to your Dad, but in the meantime, please behave." Ethan teased and I smiled fondly at the thought of seeing him again. I missed him so much already.

"Maybe," I smirked and I practically imagine him rolling his eyes. "You're rolling your eyes, aren't you?" I guessed.

"Wh-what? How'd you know?"

"First of all, because you just told me and secondly, because I just know you." I shrugged and I heard his chuckle. "Oh, _Trésor_." He said, exasperated. " _Tu me manques tellement."_

Did I mentioned he insisted on calling me 'trésor', when he spoke to me fondly or in a matter of when he was feeling particularly affectionate towards me. It sounded an awful lot like the english word, treasure...

"Ethan," I whined. "I don't speak French! What did you say?"

"Look it up." He said smugly and I groaned. "I'll just use Google Translate." I muttered and I heard his hum of amusement. "Rose, you do know that -" He was interrupted by a voice in the background.

When the voice stopped talking, he sighed into the phone. "Rose, I gotta go. I'll talk to your Dad about going to Court, okay?" He promised and I nodded - as if he could see me. "Deal. Bye, Ethan."

"Bye, Rose. _Je t'aime._ " He said the last bit with an extra note in his voice. It sounded sincere and a bit wistful. Before I could protest his French speaking when he knew I didn't understand a word of it, he disconnected.

"Wha-? Ugh." I groaned and set my arm with my phone on the bed lazily and I laid back, staring at the ceiling. It had been nice to speak with Ethan. It hadn't even been a week since I last saw him, but I missed both him and my old man very much. I really hoped they came to Court.

Before I could fall back asleep, there was a knock at my door. I groaned before climbing off my bed to see who it was. Sulkily, I walked to the door and unlocked it before swinging it open.

"What do you wan-"

It was Adrian. My mood immediately darkened upon seeing him as I remembered what happened in Lissa's room. I realized now that it was actually a backlash of the Spirit darkness, but seeing him still annoyed me.

"Nice to see you too, Little dhampir." He said dryly and I resisted the urge to scowl. "Always a pleasure." I quipped. "What do you want?"

"Rose.. I'm sorry about what happened earlier.." He apologized sincerely. I crossed my arms over my chest, giving him a defiant look. He stared at me, those emerald green eyes piercing into me and I broke. "Damn it." I muttered and my arms fell to my side. He smiled widely in satisfaction. "You're forgiven. Is that all?" I asked and Adrian smiled before shaking his head.

"No, Little dhampir. I actually came for something else, as well.." He told me and I frowned, confused.

Adrian shoved a hand in his jean's pocket and pulled out.. A small black box. "Well, Rose. I was at the Moroi jewelry store and I saw this, and I wanted to give it to you because... Well.." he trailed off and my eyes widened.

"Adrian... You.. You're not proposing, are you? I mean, I love you but -"

"You love me?" He asked with his eyes wide and I realized I said the wrong thing. "Oh, Adrian, I -"

"She loves me! You hear that everyone?!" Adrian shouted in glee and the Moroi in my wing whipped their heads towards me. "Rose Hathaway said she loves me!" He added and I shook my head.

"You took that the wrong way. I..." Damn. I was flustered now with everyone's eyes on me. "I love you, but as a friend. A brother, even." I finished sheepishly and Adrian frowned and turned back to our onlookers.

"False alarm, people! She's not ready to admit it!" he announced and I groaned. Maybe I shouldn't have opened the door.

Looking back at me, He said, "you were saying?"

"What's in the box?"

"Oh! Right." He chuckled and opened the small box, revealing a charm bracelet. Admittedly, it was really pretty. "This is for you." he murmured and carefully lifted the charm bracelet out of the box and I looked at the bracelet, then at him, and back at the bracelet.

"Adrian, you didn't have to-"

"Nonsense. Yes I did. Give me your hand." He ordered and with small hesitance, I complied and extended my arm to him. As soon as the bracelet touched my bare skin, I felt a flush of coldness then heat shoot through me, and I jerked my hand away in surprise.

"Whoa! I-it's charmed..." I breathed and Adrian nodded, almost proud. "Yup. Lissa taught me how to do it. It's so you don't deal with the darkness. I put a little extra Spirit in there for extra protection."

I hesitantly smiled, grateful. Though I didn't like that he was risking insanity just to protect me from the backlash of the Spirit darkness. But I truly appreciated the gesture.

"Thanks, Adrian. But you didn't have to.." I murmured and Adrian shrugged. "I'd do anything for you, Little Dhampir." He said, waving it away. I immediately felt bad for being rude to him and he had done this for me.

"Thanks, Adrian.." I said softly when he latched the bracelet around my wrist. Ooh, there's the tingling.

"You're very welcome." Adrian replied. "Okay," I began. "What do you want?"

Adrian grinned, "nothing."

I feigned shock, "oh wow, I'm impressed! Usually you're a give-something-to-get-something kind of guy." I teased and Adrian shrugged.

"People change, Rose." He informed wryly and I tried to arch an eyebrow - but as always, I failed. "Oh? But not you, my friend."

After a few more minutes of talking, Adrian dismissed himself and I decided I'd better go see Lissa. I was her bodyguard after all, and even though I wasn't assigned to her, she had hired me to be her bodyguard, so that I would be.

Sighing and walking to my closet to change, I tried to make myself look presentable enough to go wherever Lissa needed to. If she needed to go anywhere.

Using the bond, I was able to see where Lissa was, and the answer surprised me. She was on her way to Adrian's room. What? And she was alone. No Christian, no Zara or Adam, no one. Okay.. Lissa isn't like most girls visiting Adrian by themselves, she still loved Christian very much and she had no interest in Adrian whatsoever. While I didn't know if her and Christian had gotten back together, I did know that they were still madly in love with each other. Like, seriously. It was almost nauseating.

Lissa looked down at Addy, who was curled up in her thin, pale Moroi arms, sleeping peacefully. Of course she had Addy. She never went anywhere without that cat.

Lissa reached Adrian's room soon, and she knocked on the door, careful not to drop or wake Addy. Moments later, Adrian answered the door.

Adrian grinned when he saw her and opened his door further, revealing Eddie, Christian and Dimitri in the room, standing at attention. Wait.. What? "Welcome, cousin. I'm glad you could make it." Adrian said and Lissa frowned, a little confused. She didn't know what was going on, and frankly, I didn't either.

"Hi, Adrian." Lissa greeted as Adrian stepped aside, clearing the way for her to walk in. When she did, she shot Christian and Eddie a puzzled look, silently asking them what was going on. They seemed just as confused as she was. Lissa's eyes drifted over to Dimitri, who was standing tall and confident to the side. Handsome and godly as ever -

 _Shit._

I really shouldn't be thinking about him like this, and it was me. Not Lissa. Lissa's feelings towards Dimitri had always fascinated me when I was in her head. She had always had a large respect for him - everyone did, actually. But over time, the respect grew a bit friendlier and comfortable. When she restored him, she had developed semi-protective feelings over him, and over time, she had grown to see him like a close friend, or like a big brother. Nothing like the large tornado of feelings I got when I saw him.

Dimitri nodded warmly at her and when Lissa returned the action, she looked back at Adrian, who closed his door. Everyone in the room looked at him expectantly.

"Alright. The reason I've gathered you here is-"

BAM!

I was snapped out of her head with a start, by the noise of a glass... Breaking. Like, a huge shattering sound. I whipped my head in the direction of where the loud noise came from, and much to my horror, I realized that my window had been broken, and the shards of glass were everywhere on the floor..

With a large stone in the middle.

My hands flew to my mouth and I wanted to look out the window to see if I saw anyone, but I didn't want to get cut by the glass.

"Oh my God!" I gasped and slowly made my way to the sharp shards of glass, scattered across my floor. Oh man, I was going to get in so much trouble.

My boots crunched on the glass when I stepped on it, and I immediately thought I was a fool for not instantly going to see who threw the rock. I rushed to the window and looked out, careful of the sharp edges. But I saw nothing. Just cars and the gates. What the fuck? Who could've done this? Even I had a limit when it came to pranks, especially at the Moroi Royal Court.

Looking back at the floor, I noticed the stone had a piece of paper attached to it. With words. Careful not to cut myself, I reached down and picked the stone up, the note more legible. I pulled the note from the rubber band that kept it attached to the stone. I read it, and almost had a heart attack with what I saw.

Oh no.. No, no, no. This is a joke, some sick joke that a stupid dumb fuck made and just decided to pick on me.

 _Rosemarie,_

 _First of all, I heard you were back in Pennsylvania from Istanbul, so I would like to cordially welcome you back._

 _Secondly, I also heard that you are guarding the Dragomir Princess once again. Too bad not even you, the great and legendary Rose Hathaway will be able to save her from what we have planned. Such a shame. Of course, I don't believe you'll be able to save yourself._

 _There is no safe place, Rosemarie. You can't hide. Remember that. I will always be watching you._

 _Best wishes.._

"No.. No this can't be happening." I breathed in horror and shock at the note. Someone was threatening Lissa, my best friend. I completely disregarded the threat to my life. This person knew I was back in Pennsylvania - or more importantly, that I was in Istanbul! I only left Lissa with that information and she only told Dimitri! Did Dimitri spread the word? Who the hell was this person?

"Lissa!" I gasped and I dropped the stone, causing more glass to break, but I didn't care. I had to get to Lissa and protect her. I knew that she was in Adrian's room anyways with two very experienced guardians - well, one very experienced guardian and another amazingly trained former guardian - but I still had to get to her, and warn the Court officials of this threat.

I sprinted to Adrian's room, ignoring the weird looks I got from the onlookers. When I got there, I was panting heavily. Mostly because his room was across the Court, near the Queen's heavily guarded section, but thankfully, they let me pass when I said I was looking for Lissa.

In seconds, I was banging on Adrian's door - proper greeting and behavior be damned. Adrian opened the door - or well, swung it open in frustration and annoyance - and he looked legitimately shocked and nervous when he saw me.

"Little dh-"

"Lissa!" I gasped, effectively cutting him off. "Where's Lissa?"

Adrian looked wary. "In here.. Are you okay? What happened?" he asked and I shook my head. Before I could answer, a voice from the inside cut me off.

"Rose? Rose, what is it?" Lissa asked, confused. She also seemed nervous about me being here. Why were they nervous? And what were they talking about here without me, before I came and interrupted them? On a normal day, I would've searched the bond for answers, but I didn't have time. Someone had threatened the life of my best friend and charge. No one does that and gets away with it. _No one._

Adrian opened the door more widely, revealing everyone in there to me. And they all wore the same wary and nervous expressions when they saw me. Except.. Dimitri's was more awed and adoring, which caused a blanch in my heart, but I effectively ignored it.

Ignoring them, I looked at Lissa. "Liss, are you okay?" I asked her frantically and she nodded slowly. By the look on her face, she probably thought I was at the risk of going insane again, because of the Spirit darkness. Nope, the charm bracelet Adrian gave me would prevent that. This was all me. Pure, raw Rose Hathaway emotion.

"Yes... Are you okay? What happened?" Lissa asked, true concern and confusion in her voice. Everyone's eyes were on me, studying me intently. I looked at Eddie. He was a guardian, he would understand.

I was still holding the note from the stone. I could show him this.

"Eddie, I was in my room and all of a sudden, my window shattered from a rock that someone threw." when I said that, Eddie's eyes widened and Lissa gasped, while Christian froze and Adrian paled. Dimitri stiffened and his face immediately turned into one of the stoic, determined and badass Russian god he had been back at the academy. Huh. Maybe he hadn't changed that much at all.

"What do you mean? Did you see who did it?" Eddie demanded, completely serious right now. This was Guardian Eddie, not my joking and fun friend, and I don't know which I loved more.

"No, the person got away before I could see. But.." I handed the note to him. Eddie took it immediately and looked down, his face paled slightly before his mouth pressed into a hard line and a look of total guardian fierceness plastered on his face.

"That was attached to the rock.." I whispered and Eddie looked up once he finished reading it, and to Lissa, who was anxious, concerned and confused out of her mind.

"What does it say?" demanded Dimitri and Eddie looked at him, as did I. Ignoring him, I turned my eyes back to Eddie. "It just happened. Like, not even five minutes ago."

"What?" asked Dimitri, voice hard and serious, yet desperate to find out what was happening. Eddie handed him the note and Dimitri took it with no hesitation. _Yikes!_

When he finished reading, the same look of guardian fierceness and determination, along with some outrage and anger took place on his handsome face. Guardian or not, he still had that same instinct that had gotten drilled into his head since childhood. Protect Moroi - They come first.

"Can someone please tell me what's going on?" Asked Adrian, a little shakily. Eddie gave him a grim look, but it was Dimitri who answered.

"We have to alert the guardians, and Hans. Now."

I couldn't agree more.

 **[….]**

 **A/N: Ahh! Well, would you look at that? Just when Adrian and Dimitri were going to plan ways to get Dimitri and Rose back together - and with the help of Eddie, Christian and Lissa, someone threatens her, and Rose! How will our Russian god react to that, eh?**

 **Did you like that? And what will happen next? Oh, and who do you think sent the note, via stone? I guess that puts our Dimitri-winning-Rose-back plans on hold, huh? Or will he be able to protect Lissa (and Rose ;) ) and try to win his Roza's heart back at the same time? Only time will tell...**

 **Oh and who wants Ethan and Abe to come back to Court? How will Abe react when he learns that someone has threatened his daughter?**

 **Thanks for reading this chapter. If you find it in yourself to do so, please vote and feel free to comment and leave your feedback! Constructive criticism is always welcome!**

 **Well, with that being said,**

 **Stay beautiful! Xoxo,**

 **||RozaBelikov1996||**

 **TRANSLATION (S)**

 **"Trésor" - French for - 'Treasure'**

 **"Tu me manques tellement." - French for - 'I miss you so much'**

 **"Je t'aime." - French for 'I love you'**

Oooh, how do you think Rose is going to react when she finds out that Ethan loves her, and not in a friendly way? Or, more importantly, how will Dimitri react when he finds out Ethan has eyes for his Roza?


	8. Chapter 8: Safety Precautions

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own the world of VA or any of the recognizable characters. I just own THIS Fanfic's plot. All other credit goes to the lovely Richelle Mead**

 **Chapter 8: Safety Precautions**

 **~X~**

 **RPOV**

 **"I'VE TOLD** you three times already!" I growled, frustrated and very much tired of repeating the same story, over and over again three times. And now, Hans wanted another repeat.

"Rose, we've just barely got the laptop to write the report in. We have to send a notice to Her Majesty, Queen Tatiana, so please. Repeat it one more time." Hans said reasonably. I exploded.

"Are you fucking serious?! Then what good were the first three times for? And to hell with the notice! My best friend has gotten threatened. She's a Moroi and the last Dragomir!" I shouted and Hans's face remained impassive and stoic, his Guardian Mask firmly in place. Stupid son of a-

"Rose.." Lissa crooned soothingly. My head snapped over to her, nearly giving me whiplash. "Calm down." she ordered softly, her jade green eyes making contact with me. Even though she wasn't using compulsion, her eyes were calming and encouraging me not to lose my temper. I sighed in resignation and turned back to Hans. I nodded but shot him a glare that said, _'This is the last fucking time I'm telling you, so you'd better pay attention, you son of a bitch.'_

"I was in my room, just getting ready to leave when I heard the sound of glass shattering.." I trailed off, recalling the events that happened not two hours ago - And the past three times I told this story. Hans nodded and typed something in to the laptop. "Okay, please continue." he encouraged when he stopped.

Taking a deep, calming breath, I felt Lissa's serene and soothing thoughts coming from the bond. I shot her a grateful smile and she nodded.

"Well, I turned around and saw that my window had been broken by a stone. The glass was every where and I had to be careful when I went to check if whoever did it was still there." I explained and Hans typed more things in the computer. "Okay, and did you see who did it?" he asked and I shook my head.

"No. By the time I had gotten to the window, they were gone." I said and Hans pursed his lips slightly, but told me to continue. "Anyway, the stone had a note attached to it. I read it and that's when I ran to Lissa."

"And where was the Princess?" Hans inquired. "Ad - Lord Adrian Ivashkov's room." I corrected myself quickly and Hans gave an uneasy look. Yeah, I knew what he was thinking.

He typed more before I quickly added, "she was with Dim - Mr. Dimitri Belikov, Lord Christian Ozera and Guardian Eddie Castile. They were all in Lord Ivashkov's room, talking." Damn. I was not used to referring to my friends by their formal titles, and I definitely was not used to addressing Dimitri by 'Mr. Belikov'. It was always 'Dimitri', or 'comrade', my old nickname for him. One that stirred up lots of different emotions in me. Nostalgia, sorrow, and an emotion that made me want to grimace. I only ever used Dimitri's former official title, Guardian Belikov, when I was mad or upset with him. Man, how times had changed.

'You still love him.' A voice in my mind accused. It wasn't mine, though. It was Lissa's. I looked over at her and shook my head in denial. It was true - I didn't love him anymore.. I think. Damn it! Now is not the time to think about this! Lissa's life got threatened, she is my number one priority. Her well being and safety meant the most to me right now.

 _'Don't lie to me. Don't lie to yourself. I saw the look on your face when you mentioned him.'_ She said softly in my head and I shook my head again. No. I didn't love Dimitri. I didn't love Dimitri. I did not love Dimitri.

If I kept repeating it, maybe I would start to believe it myself.

I ignored Lissa and pushed all thoughts centered around Dimitri away. This was important. My best friend's life got threatened.

"Okay, and _this_ note?"

Asked Hans, holding up the note that had been sent to me via flying rock. I clenched my jaw. "Yes."

Hans then reached into his pocket and took out a black object. His phone, I realized when he turned it on. In seconds, he had it held up to his ear. The room was silent while he waited for whoever it was to answer the phone. When the person did, Hans wasted not a moment.

"Nielsen? It's Croft. We need to check the security cameras."

 **[….]**

 **"WAIT. PAUSE."** ordered Hans while we were watching the surveillance videos, looking for any sign of the psycho who had shattered my window and threatened Lissa. I didn't much care that he/she had threatened me as well, I just wanted Lissa safe, and I would stop at nothing to ensure that.

"What?" the security guard who let us in questioned before pausing the different tapes. I believe his name was Johab Nielsen. He was a middle aged Dhampir but he wasn't an active guardian protecting a specific charge, he was just a Court security guard.

"There." Hans muttered and pointed to one of the cameras that showed a tall figure in black sweats and a black hoodie. It was hard to see the actual person, and from the perspective of the camera, he/she was barely noticeable.

But the person was there. And they were right outside my building, then he/she threw their arm back and the stone went flying when they released it. Seconds later, you could hear the sound of my glass shattering and the person ran off.

"That's it.. That person just ran off after that.." I murmured, a little shocked. "From this camera. Maybe we can get a better glimpse of him-slash-her from another camera. Until we find something, we need the Princess completely safe and protected." Hans said and I nodded.

"I can't agree more, Hans." I muttered. "Johab. Look for any signs of that person. Keep your guards on alert. No danger is to come to the Princess - or any other Moroi." Hans ordered and Johab nodded, completely serious.

"Right. I'll keep the guards on high alert. We'll let you know if anything." Johab said and Hans nodded, satisfied.

I pulled back from leaning against the security camera table and looked at Hans. "Hans, we have to make sure that every single Moroi is safe - Lissa especially since she's a specific target." I told him in a low voice. Hans sighed, "yes, Rose. We are going to give Lissa more protection.. Would you like to be her guardian?" He asked and I stared at him for a few moments, stunned.

"Um.. I'm not a guardian." I pointed out. "Perhaps not now. I'll return to you your guardian title. You will be assigned to her but -" Hans cut himself off abruptly and I frowned. "What?"

"Rose, you were threatened as well.." he whispered and I shook my head. "No. Don't.. That doesn't matter. We have to make sure that Lissa is perfectly fine. I'm not.." My voice trailed off. I didn't want them to worry or put me under protection or anything. I didn't need it. I had to protect Lissa and if I died doing so, then so be it. Lissa had to stay safe.

"Rose..." Hans said warily and I shook my head again. "Lissa is the one who actually matters. I'll be fine, Hans. I'm tough." I insisted and a ghost of a smile flickered on Hans's face, then it was gone.

"Yes. You were trained by Beliko..." Hans's face brightened with an idea and I froze when I saw where this was going.

"No, no." I breathed, hoping he wasn't thinking what I thought he was. "Belikov.. He's been asking if we could give him his guardian status and.. If we did, and assigned him to the Princess temporarily, it means more protection for her." Hans pondered and I bit back a groan.

Don't get me wrong - I wanted Lissa to have as much protection as possible and as much as I disliked him, Dimitri was practically a battle god. And the fact that he knew Lissa and they were friends made the idea even more convenient.

"Yes... Okay, I'll speak with Belikov. But from this moment on, you are the Princess's guardian. Along with the two she has now. I'll have Belikov assigned to her as well." He decided and I sighed. It's more protection for Lissa, Rose. Put your personal thoughts and wishes aside - She comes first.

"Sounds perfect." I agreed, though my mind shouted in protest .

Hopefully he got the message that this was only professional.

 **[….]**

 **DPOV**

 **"WHAT DO** you think, Mr. Belikov?" Guardian Croft asked after he explained his proposition. I stared at him, stunned and off guard, his earlier words repeating in my mind.

 _'The Dragomir Princess is in danger. I have restored Rose Hathaway's guardian title, with the approval of the Queen, and she has given me permission to restore yours as well and have you temporarily guard Princess Vasilisa while we solve this.. Mystery.'_

"What do you mean, 'temporarily'?" I asked when I recovered. "'Temporarily' as in not permanent. When everything is solved, we will assign you and Mis - Guardian Hathaway to someone else." Hans said and I nodded as I took the information in.

Rose and I were to be assigned to Lissa. That had been a problem back at the academy. How was I supposed to win her back when we would always have to be busy and on guard?

But.. This was also a chance to get close to her without being too forward. I could break down those walls surrounding my Roza's heart by being around her constantly and when we had breaks or while we were here at Court where it was presumably safe, I could try more ways to get her back then.

I made a vow to Lissa and Rose that I would protect Lissa, and I intended to keep it; but what if we were in a situation where it was a think-fast scenario and I ended up putting Rose first? By instinct and a deep calling within our souls. If I put Rose first and it resulted in Lissa getting hurt or possibly killed or even worse, turned, Rose would truly never forgive me. I would never forgive myself.

I might not feel anything romantic for Lissa; my heart, mind and soul belonged to Rose and Rose only, but I still cared for her. Maybe like an older brother-younger sister thing.

So, either way, things could end badly. But Hans said this was only temporary. Maybe I could do this, try to win Rose back yet not allow my feelings to get in the way of our duty.

That's easier said than done, Dimitri, A voice in my head chastised. I ignored it. I could do this. And hopefully, I would win the heart and trust of my Roza back, yet at the same time, fulfill my promise to Lissa and Rose.

It was worth a shot.

"Okay. I accept." I said and Hans smiled, satisfied. "Great. Welcome back to the ranks Guardian Belikov."

Hearing my old formal title instead of 'Mr. Belikov' made me feel relieved in some sort. I was glad to have it back.

Glad to be a guardian again.

 **[….]**

 **RPOV**

 **"OH YOU** have got to be fucking kidding me!" I cursed loudly when Lissa told me her new guarding schedule. She flinched and I realized I had been shouting, but I was outraged. Frustrated and just upset.

"Rose.. Calm down. It's only until they can find that crazy person who shattered your window." Lissa reasoned softly, calming thoughts coming from the bond. It worked a little, and the bracelet was helping keeping spirit darkness away, but, well.. I was Rose Hathaway.

"They couldn't have partnered me up with someone else?" I complained and Lissa sighed. "It's just Dimitri, Rose. It's not that bad. He's not that bad. If you'd just give him a chan-"

"No." I interrupted her sharply. "No. Don't you even suggest that."

Lissa groaned, "Rose... He's sorry for what he did, he really loves you!"

I snorted. "Right, and I'm also totally in love with Adrian. It's not happening." I said sarcastically. "Besides, since when are you his messenger?"

She narrowed her eyes at me. "I'm not his 'messenger'. But you refuse to see him."

"Well, unfortunately, I'm going to have too. Every day. All day." I grunted and suppressed a dramatic groan at the thought. "And you're supposed to be my best friend. You aren't supposed to encourage me to give him a chance after he hurt me."

"That's exactly my point! I'm your best friend and I want you to be happy! You should've seen him after you left, Rose.. He was so sad and desperate for information on you."

"Yeah" I muttered bitterly. "So much so that you broke your promise and told him where I was." Lissa flinched. "Rose..."

"Lissa, we aren't talking about this. And quite frankly, I don't give a damn about the past anymore. I'm officially your guardian now and I only need to keep you safe. I don't need boyfriends or anything like that." I told her, taking a few steps closer and looking her in the eye. Voice softer and more sincere, I said, "you are my number one priority. And as long as I'm keeping you safe, I'm happy." I said truthfully. I felt a pang of guilt and sorrow - for me through the bond.

"I hate that you're putting your life on hold for me. It's unfair. You loved Dimitri and you still do."

I sighed, "Lissa, our love was a lost cause from the moment we felt it. What happened between Dimitri and I... It won't happen again. I won't make that mistake again." I vowed and Lissa frowned, pain for me on her face. "Rose.."

"Enough. I'm not putting my life on hold, because guarding you is my life. That's all there is to it. Come on, get Addy and we have to go meet up with Hans." I said and Lissa turned curious. "Why?"

"Because I want to see if he can give me another guarding partner." I muttered bitterly, because I knew there was no way I could spend 12 hours a day with Dimitri, even if Lissa was with us. I couldn't. There had to be a way to change this..

Checking if Addy was on her bed, Lissa smiled softly and looked back at me, ready. "No. That won't be necessary. She's sleeping."

I shrugged. "Okay. Let's go." I declared before walking to the door. If I had too, I would make a huge scene in order not to be partnered up with Dimitri, because deep down I knew that if he constantly tried to win me back or even talk to me, then eventually, my resolve would crack and my walls would break down completely.

I couldn't allow that to happen.

 **[….]**

 **"I'M SORRY,** Rose. But there's nothing we can do. As of tomorrow, you and Dimitri will be guarding partners for the Princess. My decision is final." Hans declared, not seeming too sorry.

"Are you serious? You can't do that to me! I can't be around him twelve hours a day! I'll go crazy!" I exclaimed.

"Guardian Hathaway!" Hans reprimanded sharply. Hearing him call me a guardian was strange, considering I hadn't had the guardian title for over a year - and even then, I didn't have it for long.

I clenched my teeth and stayed silent as he scolded me - something I considered a true sign of self control and discipline. "You are out of turn. I asked you if you were okay with this and you agreed, so now I have made my decision. I will not go back on it and I have the Queen's approval. You and Guardian Belikov are to guard the princess effective immediately after this. Quite frankly, I do not care why you refuse or why you don't want to do this. I only care about the Princess's safety and you should too." Hans said sternly and I glared. "I do. But why can't I have another guarding partner?" I challenged and Hans hid a scowl.

"Because I have made my decision. If you don't want to follow through, I can assign the Princess another guardian - someone more cooperative and matured."

I had never hated Hans as much as I did in this moment, but I couldn't screw this up. I had to deal with Dimitri, and try my best to ignore anything he said regarding our past.

I clenched and unclenched my jaw, trying to contain my anger. Especially since several guardians and Lissa were outside - including Dimitri.

"No. That won't be necessary, sir." I said tightly and he looked bitterly satisfied. "Good. I hope you do this job well. Dismissed."

I stormed out of the room, silently boiling with anger. I tore the door open and stomped out, ignoring Lissa's and Dimitri's attempts to calm and slow me down.

"Rose! Wait!" Lissa called and I continued walking until she caught up to me and grabbed a hold of my forearm, tugging me back. "Rose, stop. Calm down." she gasped from running over here. I had been walking that fast.

"I am calm." I argued, clenching my jaw.

"No, you're not." came the voice of Dimitri as he approached us. I tried not to scowl or groan at him, but something deep within me leapt in excitement at the sound of his husky, accented voice. Ugh..

"Nobody asked you." I snapped at him and hurt flashed in his eyes, but in a millisecond, it was gone. Replaced by his guardian mask firmly in place. "No..but your body is tense and you have your free hand fisted at your side. You're also breathing heavily, as well as your jaw being clenched. And you look like you're going to punch someone any second now." He observed, much to my annoyance. I cursed him for knowing me so well. Why.. Why does he have to be so perceptive?

"How about I start with you?" I threatened and jerked my hand away from Lissa. Dimitri stared at me, shocked and so did Lissa. I had never actually threatened Dimitri before, save for when I left and I told him that when I returned and Lissa wasn't in one piece, that I would kill him. But that was a bit of an exaggeration, considering he would've watched over Lissa anyways. Though it felt good to actually let my emotions towards him out. "Rose.." he began wearily when he recovered. "What?" I growled and he looked shocked. And legitimately frightened _. Good._

"What's wrong with you?" he demanded and I scowled, "Just the fact that Hans paired me up with someone I want nothing to do with."

A hurt expression took him over, but he continued. "You can't ignore me forever."

"Watch me." I challenged.

"Rose.." said Lissa softly. I stiffened. Man, I'd actually forgotten she was here. I turned to her and she reached out for my hand and she grabbed it before fixing me with her observant, piercing yet gentle and understanding jade green eyes.

"Rose.." She repeated, her voice like silk. "You don't want the darkness.. Let it go.." she murmured and I felt my mind blank. Something in my stomach twisted.

"No..." I heard myself say. Almost like a whimper.

"Yes.. Let it go, Rose. You can do it. Let it go. You don't want it." Lissa's voice echoed in my head and a coil in my stomach snapped and it was like being drained of something horrible and agonizing, yet drained of all my energy - physical and mental - as well.

I felt weak, and simply exhausted. Yet, before I knew it, I busted out into tears. Big, painful sobs racked my body and I felt myself fall down to my knees as I hugged myself.

Lissa dropped down beside me and took me in her arms and I sobbed and wept in the comfort of them like a small child. "I-I-.. I-i'm sor-sorry." I cried and Lissa stroked my hair, trying to calm me down. "Shh.. It's okay... You're okay.. It's over."

"What's wrong? Is she okay?" asked a frantic voice, filled with worry. I recognized it as Dimitri's. Even though I felt guilty and bad for being rude to him when the darkness took me over, I didn't necessarily want to see him. I simply wanted to cry all my pain and agony out.

"The darkness... It's gone now but she's exhausted." I heard Lissa reply, her voice like a hum to my ears since my head was on her shoulders. I cried harder and Lissa tried to soothe me. "Rose.. You're okay. You'll be fine. It's over.."

"Will she be okay?" Dimitri asked again, the concern and fear evident in his voice. Not fear of me, but fear for me.

"Yes.. She needs to sleep though." Lissa said to him.

I thanked God that there was no one in the hallway right now, and my room was really close. But exhaustion seemed to get the best of me and my crying died down, turning into occasional whimpers and murmurs.

Soon enough, I felt the darkness engulf me and I allowed it, exhaustion and fatigue - physical and mental - winning my body over.

Then everything around me went black.

 **[….]**

 **A/N: How was that? Poor Rose.. I know she's badass and strong but even she has points where exhaustion and the darkness can win the fight. Thankfully, she fought the darkness off but exhaustion won.. She deserves a good sleep before the actual plot gets real. (;**

 **Well, did you like it? Hate it? Let me know and please review! It makes my day to read your reviews!**

 **Xoxo,**

 **||RozaBelikova96||**


	9. Chapter 9: He Wants To See You

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own the world of VA or any of the recognizable characters. I just own THIS Fanfic's plot. All other credit goes to the lovely Richelle Mead**

 **Long chapter, but it's definitely eventful.** **(;**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Chapter 9: He Wants To See You**

 **~X~**

 **RPOV**

 **I WOKE** up some time later, feeling drowsy and disoriented. Groaning, I threw my arm over my eyes and felt my position shift.

"Rose?" I heard a soft, faint voice say. "Rose are you okay?"

I moaned softly and let my arm fall back on the bed. I screwed my eyes shut before slowly opening them, my vision was blurred at first, but then everything cleared up. I saw Lissa standing at the side of my bed and when my eyes scanned the room, I saw it was in fact mine.

My eyes though, stopped on the sight of Dimitri. He was standing at the end of the bed, gazing at me intently with concern, relief and love. I suppressed a sigh and turned my head back to Lissa, but Dimitri's eyes stayed glued to me.

"Are you okay? How are you feeling." Lissa asked, concern evident in her voice. Tired. Hungry. Groggy.

"Fine.." I grunted as I tried to sit up. When I accomplished it, I rested my back and head against the bed's headboard.

"What happened?" I asked finally and Lissa's eyes pierced me. "You got a little upset when you visited Hans and.." her voice trailed off, but I knew what she was going to say. The main reason being the bond, and the other because I just knew her.

"The darkness.. I let it get to me again, didn't I?" I whispered and Lissa nodded her confirmation, but firmly said, "it wasn't your fault. It seems to be getting stronger.." Her voice dropped at the end and I frowned, but it was Dimitri who spoke exactly what I was going to say. "What does that mean?"

Lissa looked over to him, a pained and frustrated expression on her face. "I don't know. For now, we can make Rose charms to stop the darkness from getting to her.. The bracelet one must've burned out."

"But that means that you'll keep the darkness, Liss." I realized and she shook her head, a grim expression on her face. "No.. Until Adrian and I can find a way to contain the darkness.. I'll..." I knew she was dreading what she was about to say, but it was necessary.

"You're going to go on the meds." I guessed and face filled with dismay, she nodded. "I have too."

I sighed and looked back at Dimitri, who's gaze was on me, eyes filled with awe, wonder and love, along with some worry. Seriously?

"Are you just going to stand there and stare at me?" I snapped and Dimitri sighed in defeat. "If I could, I would." he admitted and something in me fluttered, and I cursed that. Damn it. He can't have this affect on me anymore!

"Yeah, well too bad. Find something else to pass your time." I grumbled, despite the warm feeling I got on the inside. His face showed hurt but it was gone and he nodded, Guardian mask taking over again. A huge part of me hated myself for hurting him, but another part cheered it on, telling me it was necessary in the process of getting over him. I sided with the latter and kept my face cold and void of any emotion.

"Sorry, Roz-"

"It's Rose. Not Roza." I corrected him sharply and hurt flashed through his eyes once again, but a look of determination was there. One that told me that he was going to correct himself, but he wasn't going to give up on me. Well, if he had a year ago, what's stopping him from doing it now?

"I'm sorry, Rose." He apologized and I rolled my eyes over to Lissa.

 _Rose..._ She said wearily through the bond. _You don't have to be so rude to him. He's trying to win you back, and he's truly sorry for what he did to you._

I grunted in response to her and threw the duvet off my body. "I'm going to get something to eat." I muttered and practically jumped off the bed, suddenly not so tired anymore.

"Rose.." Lissa began and I looked at her. "Are you coming? You've gotta see the feeders too, right now. I can tell you're hungry." I pointed out, trying to calm myself down. "Yeah," Lissa agreed with little hesitance.

"Right after you, Princess." I said wryly and she exhaled in relief, happy I was being sarcastic and not angry or irritable.

"Right." Then she walked in front of me and Dimitri and I followed dutifully behind, him occasionally glancing over at me and I tried to ignore him, but when he'd done it for about the tenth time with that same love and hope in his eyes, I snapped again.

"Keep your eyes on our charge, Guardian Belikov." I ordered bitterly and he flinched, but turned his eyes back on Lissa, who headed towards the feeders.

 **[….]**

 **DPOV**

 **"I'M TELLING** you, she's just being stubborn." Adrian said when I finished telling him how Rose had been acting towards me. Cold, distant and almost cruel, yet... I deserved it. But that didn't mean I desperately wanted to win her back and change that. Though, in times like this, I was starting to wonder if Rose really did want nothing to do with me and if she didn't feel the same anymore. That she'd moved on. The mere thought made my heart and chest ache.

"I don't know.. Adrian, what if she really does hate me?" I asked brokenly and Adrian shook his head. "No. She doesn't. I can tell, but she's stubborn. She loves you and well, you claim to love her and-"

I whipped my head over to him, tearing my eyes away from the black bread I had made and to Adrian. I glared. "I do love her. More than anything and life itself. And I regret ever hurting her and telling her I don't."

I hung my head down as sadness and remorse - an ocean of it - coursed through my body. This was my fault. I should've never pushed her away, and now... Now she was doing the same to me, but to protect herself. Her heart. I once had it, and I shattered it and just let it go. Now I would do everything in my power to have it again - even resorting to Adrian for help.

My shift with Lissa ended and I came back to my room and decided to make some black bread. Adrian, had come unexpectedly and just invited himself in, not even bothering to knock. I don't even know how he got a key card to my door! I guess there were some perks to being a high-ranking Moroi and the Queen's favorite nephew.

Adrian held his hands up in defense. "Alright. That's good that you regret it. That's progress. So, tell me. What do you have in mind for Rose? How do you plan on winning her back?" He asked and I sighed.

"Well, for starters, I can't do anything big while we're guarding Lissa. They come first. You. Moroi. I can't let my feelings for Rose get in the way of our duty. It won't end well." I explained, taking a knife and pressing it down, cutting a slice of bread.

"Okay.. And that smells good. Did you make it?" He asked, suddenly interested in the black bread. I smiled weakly. "Yeah."

Leaning over to get a better look, he grimaced. "Why is it.. Brown? Or black? Or whatever that color is?"

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "It's Russian Black Bread. My mother used to make it a lot and she showed me how." I told him, smiling fondly at the memories, and he nodded in understanding.

"Want some?" I offered, holding a slice out to him. He hesitated a bit, before taking the slice I held out to him and after examining the bread, he took a slow, cautious bite.

"Calm down, Adrian. It's not like I poisoned it." I snorted and Adrian shrugged. "Always gotta be careful. And wow, this is really good."

I hid a proud smile. I had satisfied a Moroi with regular human food, something they didn't eat much since their main source of sustenance was blood. They ate; but not too much and regularly like dhampirs and Humans needed too.

"Thanks." I said and cut a slice for me.

"Like, really. I don't have much of an appetite since I just drank blood like, an hour ago, but I gotta hand it to you, Belikov. You can really make this well."

"I live to serve." I teased and I startled myself. Since when was I all friendly and teasing with Adrian Ivashkov? Not even a week ago, I strongly disliked him for his reputation and constantly pursuing my Roza. Maybe it was because he was trying to help me.

"If you and Rose ever get back together - and with my help, you will - I can see you have a promising future as a house-husband, cooking and cleaning while Rose goes out and works to make the money." He smirked and something in me lightened and warmed when he mentioned me being Rose's husband. Oh, how happy that would make me. To call her my wife and be with her for the rest of my life. To marry her with all our friends, family and God as our witnesses. Having children didn't matter to me now, and if Rose couldn't give me them, I didn't want them. As long as I had my Roza, I would be happy. More than happy, my life would be complete and perfect if I had my Roza by my side.

I realized I was grinning at the thought of one day marrying Rose, and when I snapped out of my reverie, the full meaning of Adrian's joke hit me.

I looked at him wryly. "Thanks. That's my largest goal in life." I said dryly and Adrian's smirk widened. The part of being with my Roza was definitely my deepest, most precious wish, and as for the other.. Well.. I know if Rose wanted me to stay home and cook and clean, then I would do it. I would do anything in my power to please her, and like I said: As long as I was with Rose, I would be okay and happy.

But for right now, I was back to square one. I still had to win her heart and trust back, and that's why I had to turn to Adrian to help me. Quite weird, but I was becoming desperate.

"Well, I have an idea." Adrian suddenly blurted out and I looked at him, curious and a little confused. "For what?"

Adrian looked at me, incredulous. "To help you with my little dhampir! That's why I'm here and helping you." Adrian pointed out. "Oh. What is it?"

"Okay. Lissa's going on another shopping trip, just to get her away from Court for a bit. My aunt organized it and I overheard her speaking to Guardian Croft about it. Well, Rose is going with her and so are these other two guardians, Buchanan and Ventiva." Adrian explained and I simply nodded, encouraging him to continue as I listened intently. "While you're here, we can speak with Christian and Eddie about helping us. They will. They care about Rose and her happiness."

"Okay, so I don't go on the shopping trip?" I asked and Adrian shook his head. "No. And while they're away, we'll be planning something for you and Rose."

Oh. Okay. Makes sense, especially if it's coming from Adrian.

"Alright. So what are we planning?" I questioned further and Adrian smirked and took another bite out of his black bread, a sly and smug look in his eyes.

"That's for me to know and you to find out soon."

Well, at least it meant another shot at winning my Roza back. Something told me that this wouldn't be enough to convince Rose that I still loved her and I wouldn't hurt her again. But I had to try, because I didn't want to lose her. She owned my heart, my soul, my mind and me overall. I was hers, and hopefully, soon she would be mine again.

 **[….]**

 **RPOV**

 **"ROSE! DID** you hear?" squealed Lissa as she approached me out of nowhere. I frowned. I wasn't on duty with her so I just decided to come get a nice chocolate donut. Looking behind her, I could see Zara and another guardian I didn't recognize. He was a male and like pretty much all guardians, his face was unreadable and impassive.

Dragging my eyes back to Lissa, I said, "about what? Oh Lord, don't tell me that Adrian got arrested for a DUI or something like that.."

Lissa frowned, confused. "What? No! Do you think I'd be happy if that happened?"

"I would." I muttered, exaggerating. Truthfully speaking, no, I wouldn't be happy. I'd try my best to get him out and - wait! Who am I kidding? He's a freaking rich Ivashkov and the favorite nephew of Queen Tatiana! One way or another, he'd get out.

Lissa rolled her eyes and shook her head in exasperation. "No, Rose. Adrian didn't get arrested. Did you really not hear?"

"Well, I'm sure you're going to tell me." I replied dryly.

"We're going on a shopping trip again!"

I did a double take. "What? Again?" I asked she nodded, obviously very excited. "Yes!"

"When?" I questioned further. Lissa grinned, "tomorrow. You're coming with me as my guard, Zara is also coming and they're going to have some other guardian go too." She explained and I nodded. A question came to mind and I just had to ask.

"Is... Is Dimitri coming?" I said in a low voice. Lissa gave me a knowing and a bit suspicious look. "No. Why, do you want him to?"

I scoffed, "as if."

Lissa looked weary and she frowned. "Rose... You shouldn't be so mean to him."

I rolled my eyes, "can we not talk about him right now? I'm in a good mood."

"Well, you brought him up. But anyways, we're leaving tomorrow early in the Human day, so I suggest you get sleep."

Oh man. That mean I should take this advantage to sleep, because I couldn't afford distractions and I would not sleep in the car if I was on duty. It wasn't happening.

"Right. Okay, thanks for letting me know, Liss. I'll be in my room if you need anything." I muttered and rose up from the chair I was in and lifted my plate with a half-eaten chocolate donut.

"No problem. See you tomorrow, Rose." she sang and before I could reply, she gave me a full hug, catching me off guard so I instinctively stiffened. I didn't have the time to hug back because Lissa pulled away and with one last glance, she sauntered off.

 **[….]**

 **WAKING UP** at 8 A.M. Human time is not fun, especially since we're going to be in a car for a while until we get to town.

I woke up extra early so I could shower. I threw on a regular outfit, as we were going to a Human shopping mall and had to appear inconspicuous. I simply wore jeans, my black combat boots, a shirt that said 'BADASS BITCH' on it, and a black leather jacket.

 **(A/N: If you know which fanfic the shirt is referencing, we can be friends! (;)**

I let my hair down, knowing that if we were going to town, the Humans couldn't see my marks.

Grabbing my stake, I stashed it inside the leather jacket in a tight pouch and walked off to the front gate, where Lissa said she would meet me.

The Moroi were all sleeping and most guardians were as well, except for those on duty and who had perimeter shifts.

One of them just happened to be Dimitri.

 _I knew it was too good to be true,_ I thought bitterly when my eyes landed on him. He doesn't come on the shopping trip, but I have to pass him to get out.

Just my luck.

Suppressing a sigh, I stalked towards the gate he was watching. He hadn't noticed me, and I could only see the left side of his tall, wonderful body and oh so handsome face -

Stop it! I mentally scolded myself. Just get over him already.

During my walk over, he looked where I was and his eyes widened. Shit. "Roz-"

"Didn't I tell you not to call me that? It's Rose or Guardian Hathaway to you _. Not_ 'Roza.'" I scolded and he frowned, then nodded. "Right. So um.. What are you doing here?" He asked hesitantly.

Hiding a scowl, I said, "I have to get past the gate to meet Lissa."

Recognition and understanding flickered in his eyes. "Oh. Right." he murmured and I rolled my eyes. "Yeah."

Dimitri turned around and walked to the gate keypad. He punched in the code and the gate began to lift. I walked to the gate so when it opened enough, I could just walk out and get away from Dimitri, but something inside me just wanted him to wrap me in his arms and that famous duster, and just have him hold me against the cool breeze, but that couldn't happen. So I had to leave. Now.

Just as I was about to walk to Lissa, Dimitri called me back. "Roz- Rose!" Nice save there, Belikov.

I whipped my head over to him. "What?" I said, not so friendly.

"I.. Where are you guys going?" he asked and I shrugged. "Beats me. Besides, that's not any of your concern."

"Yes, it is. Lissa is still my charge. And you-" he cut himself off. I raised my eyebrows at him and turned around to face him completely, then crossed my arms over my chest. "Thanks for opening the gate, Guardian Belikov." I muttered and when I dropped my arms down. Before I could turn around and walk away, I felt long, graceful fingers enclose around my forearm.

"Rose, can I please talk to you?" Dimitri asked softly and I tried to jerk my arm away, and ignore the flush of heat I got when he touched me, but I couldn't. His grip was too firm. "There's nothing to talk about. And let me go!" I ordered and with small hesitance, he complied, but still stood close to me.

"Rose, I know you claim to hate me, but I know you still love me." Dimitri said confidently and I shook my head. "No. No I don't. You're wrong." Oh, how I wanted him to be wrong.

"I can't give on you, Rose. I won't." He vowed fiercely. "You did a year ago." I hissed and he looked pained. "It was a mistake, Rose. I made a mistake, but I never stopped loving you."

My breathing stopped, and my heart skipped a beat at his words. 'I never stopped loving you.'

Surely.. Surely he was just lying. This was a trick. He said he didn't love me anymore and I couldn't trust anything he said now.

"I love you, Rose.."

I shook my head, "yeah? Well that's too bad, because I don't love you." I snarled and even with the hurt and pain that flashed in his eyes. "No, Rose. Don't lie to me, don't lie to yourself. You love me, and I am going to do everything in my power to win your heart and trust back." Dimitri declared and I took a few steps back. My heart was beating really fast, almost hammering out of my chest but I fought against it.

"No. No. Stop, Dimitri. I want nothing to do with you. What happened between us means nothing to me anymore." I claimed firmly, knowing deep down that I was lying.

Again, hurt flashed in his eyes but he kept his ground. "I'll see you later, Rose. I love you." he murmured earnestly and my heart fluttered at his words but I kept my guardian mask up - one I'd only recently perfected. "So you say." I muttered before turning on my heel and quickly scurrying away, knowing that if I stayed any longer and with that look in his eyes... Then my resolve would break and my protective walls would come crashing down, and I would probably let him in again. That wasn't good. At all.

Damn.

"Hey Rose! What took you so long?" Lissa exclaimed when she saw me. I forced a smile as I replied, "sorry. I got distracted by a bug."

Lissa didn't look convinced, but she let it go and took my hand in hers, then practically dragged me to the black SUV where Zara stood, tall and intimidating.

I greeted her with a polite nod and I said, "Guardian Buchanan." formally. "Guardian Hathaway," she returned and I looked back at Lissa, who had a sly glint in her eyes. She was hiding something.

"What?" I asked her and her eyes went to the front car window. She nodded at something or someone in there and I frowned in confusion. Through the darkened windows, I could hardly make out the outline of a person. Who was it?

As if it were a signal or a sign of permission to come out, the car door opened and a man stepped out. When he walked around the car door, I saw who it was. My eyes widened in surprise and shock, I gasped.

"Well, aren't you going to give me a hug? Or am I not good enough for your famous Rose Hathaway hugs?" Eddie teased and I crossed my arms over my chest and smirked. "Nah, I think I gave you a pretty good 'famous Rose Hathaway hug' when I returned from half way around the world. I think you'll settle with a 'Hello'." I teased and Eddie chuckled, his mask momentarily down. "Well?" he prompted and I rolled my eyes.

"Hello, Edison Castile. Are you the extra guardian coming on the trip?" I asked and now it was Eddie's turn to roll his eyes. "No, I just got out of bed this early to come greet you before you left." He said sarcastically.

"Yes, I'm going on the shopping trip to guard Lissa." Eddie conceded and I frowned slightly. "Where's your charge though?"

"With his other guardian. Hans saw that I was off duty so he put me to guard on this trip." Eddie explained, serious now.

"I do hope I'm not interrupting or anything, but we should leave now. We still have to get to town before human shopping hours." Zara intervened and I looked at her. "Of course. C'mon, Liss." I murmured and we walked to the black SUV for the third time this week.

 **[….]**

 **WE WERE** in town for at least six hours, following Lissa as she shopped her heart out. She was also constantly calling Mia, asking how her cat was doing. Yes, Mia was 'cat-sitting' Addy.

"When do we have to go?" Lissa asked no one in particular. "Um.. Actually, in about twenty minutes we should be heading back.." Eddie replied, a little tentative. Lissa frowned in disappointment. "Oh."

Soon, we walked back to the parking lot where the SUV was, and got in. As usual, I sat in the back with Lissa and Zara sat on her other side, while Eddie drove, alone.

We weren't that far from Court when the SUV began to shake - or that 'jumping sensation' took over, like when you're driving on a very bumpy road. "Whoa.." hiccupped Lissa and I just grabbed her hand. This wasn't anything bad - it just felt weird. Especially since we hadn't experienced this on the way to the mall.

Seconds later, the SUV began to slow down, until eventually, it stopped and turned off altogether. "What?" questioned Eddie, a confused look on his face before attempting to start the car once again - it didn't work.

"What's going on?" Lissa asked weakly, and I could feel her fear through the bond. I gently squeezed her hand, reassuring her that everything was okay. The fact that it was dark didn't bother her, considering she practically lived in the dark, but she was still suspicious and freaked out. It was probably a malfunction with the motor or something - but I wasn't a car expert.

"Um.. I don't know. The gas was fine.. And nothing seemed wrong.. Let me check it out." Eddie responded before opening the car door and stepping onto the road. Lissa let out a shaky "Okay."

"Don't worry, Princess. It's probably nothing. Guardian Castile will fix it." Zara reassured Lissa and my best friend looked at her. "Okay," she repeated.

Eddie circled around the car and lifted the hood, causing a bright helping light to shine on the inside. It was deathly silent and we waited patiently for the problem to be found.

Minutes later, Eddie came back to the open door and stuck his head in to look at us. "Everything seems fine. I think it was just -"

Eddie was cut off by a loud thud! It sounded like it came from the back of the SUV and it made us all jump, and Lissa let out a surprised and fearful squeak.

With our guardian instincts, Eddie's, mine and Zara's head whipped over to the back window. Zara reached for her stake inside her jacket and I looked at her. "Do you think you'll need that?" I whispered. Zara's eyes never left the back window as she responded just as quietly, "I don't know, but we have to find that out."

Zara looked at me intently, she was in full guardian battle mode, ready for anything. "Stay with the Princess." she ordered before opening the door and quickly getting out.

"Rose, what's happening?" Lissa asked frantically and I shook my head, shushing, trying to calm her heightened levels of stress, fear and confusion. "I don't know, but we'll take care of it. You'll be okay." I promised.

In reality, I was dying to know what was happening out there with Zara and Eddie. But I had to stay here and protect Lissa. Protecting Moroi was the natural instinct for dhampir guardians, it had been drilled into our heads since the moment we started school - they come first. Lissa being my best friend and my charge only increased my need and desire to keep her safe.

"But what about you-"

"Shh, don't talk." I whispered and she nodded, closing her mouth, but she was breathing quickly and heavily. I needed her to calm down so I grabbed her shoulders and forced her to look in my eyes.

"Hey, calm down. Everything will be fine - you'll be fine. I won't let anything happen to you. I thought you knew that." My voice was low and quiet, but firm at the same time to get the message through. It worked and she latched onto that belief - that I would protect her at all costs, and I would. I would do anything to ensure her safety, even throw my own life before hers. I knew she feared that, but she needed to know that if it came to that, I would throw my life before hers, just to keep her safe.

That's when we heard a scream and some grunts. Lissa immediately jumped and yelped, while I sprang into protective guardian battle mode. The scream, though.. It sounded like...

Zara.

I wanted to go out there and see what happened, what was going on, but I couldn't. My job was to protect Lissa.

I heard another blood-curdling scream and a thud. What is going on?!

"Rose, what's going on out there?" Lissa cried, scared out of her mind. I took my stake out, realizing what I had to do. Looking at Lissa firmly, I said, "I don't know, but I have to see. Liss.. Stay behind me."

Lissa understood and she gasped, but mustered all her courage and trust in me - that I would protect her - and nodded, tears prickling in her eyes and her heart thundering in her chest. I even think I saw sweat falling from her pale, delicate face. Or maybe they were tears. Or both.

I was proud at how brave she was trying to act, how she didn't want her fear to control her, but she was a Moroi. She hadn't been trained to handle these type of situations, I had. So had Eddie...

Eddie!

Oh, my friend. I had to see if he was okay. Giving Lissa a nod, I pushed the side door open and immediately a wave of nausea hit me. Taking deep breaths, I fought through it because I now knew the problem. I knew what was out there and I had recognized my warning system.

There were Strigoi. Eddie and Zara were fighting off Strigoi.

Pushing away my nausea, I jumped out of the car and Lissa followed behind me. And I stopped, dead in my tracks at the scene before me.

Eddie was fighting off two Strigoi, a male and female from what I could see. Two bodies lay dead on the floor. A male Strigoi's and... Zara's. I felt bile rising up in the back of my throat. Zara was dead, very dead. From the way she lay... Her neck had been twisted and cracked. That was why she had screamed, maybe in fear.

Lissa let out a strangled cry and the two live Strigoi looked over to us.

"No-!" grunted Eddie and my friend managed to slash the female Strigoi's cheek with his stake, distracting her and making the monster snarl in pain. The distraction provided Eddie with an opening to her chest and within seconds, his stake was in her heart. She let out a howl of agony before she crumpled to the ground, still and dead. The male Strigoi which was still alive - well, figuratively speaking - used Eddie's focus on pulling his stake out of the female Strigoi's heart to backhand my friend. Hard. Eddie flew back and hit a tree with a loud thud. Lissa screamed and I watched in horror. "No! Eddie!" I cried but forced myself to stay still.

The male Strigoi gave a sadistic smile in our direction and Lissa froze behind me. Using his Strigoi speed, he rushed towards us and I immediately pushed Lissa to the door as far back as possible. I had my stake out, but the Strigoi saw this and grabbed my arm that held the stake really hard and it made me lose my grip. I cried out in pain but still struck out against the monster, giving him hard kicks that made him release me. I took the chance to bend down and reach for my stake with the hand that hadn't gotten squeezed to the point of causing maybe a fracture.

Ignoring the throbbing pain, I sprang towards the Strigoi, ready to make the evil bloodsucker pay for hurting my friend and putting my charge/Best Friend in danger.

"Rosemarie Hathaway, the famous dhampir guardian.. My boss has been wanting to.. Speak with you." the Strigoi said with an evil smirk. That made a shudder run through me but I continued to fight the monster.

"Yes.. He sent me for you.." The Strigoi informed coldly and I grunted. "Don't worry, I wish not to harm you or awaken you, yet. He wants to see you. Your charge here is none of my concern."

Wait, what? He wasn't after Lissa? No, Rose. Don't let him distract you.

"Oh? And who is this boss of yours and why does he want to see me?" I asked tightly as we continued our deadly dance. Another evil, sadistic smirk appeared on his chalky white face, "why don't I take you to him?"

"Wha-" I barely had time to utter the word before I saw his fist striking out, towards my head. I also barely heard faint shriek of "ROSE!" before I fell...

And everything around me went black.

 **[….]**

 **WHAAAAT?! Zara died and Eddie might also be dead! And Rose was taken by that Strigoi? And what will happen with Lissa? Will she get home safely or did the Strigoi get her too? What about Eddie and how will Dimitri react to this? Who do you think the Strigoi's boss is and is the boss the reason Lissa and Rose got threatened? Oh, my! So many questions to be answered in the upcoming chapters of 'In A Year' !**

 **Please review, or I kill Eddie! Hehehe.. I'm so nice (; Constructive criticism is always welcome!**

 **Xoxo,**

 **||RozaBelikov1996||**


	10. Chapter 10: Can't Stay Away From You

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own the world of VA or any of the recognizable characters. I just own THIS Fanfic's plot. All other credit goes to the lovely Richelle Mead**

 **Just another heads up that I write the RPOVs and every other POV that isn't Dimitri's and my friend Sarah writes the DPOVs!**

 **Chapter 10: Can't Stay Away From You**

 **~X~**

 **LPOV**

 **"NO, NO,** no!" I cried, frantically searching for Eddie in the darkness of the night. The treetop leaves blocking the light of the moon didn't help either, and even with my better vision, I couldn't see clearly. I was practically trembling with fear, shock and horror at the recent events. Zara, one of my guardians had gotten killed by Strigoi, Eddie had gotten hurt and I didn't know if he was alive, and Rose... My best friend, practically sister and guardian had gotten taken by the Strigoi. I was alone in the dead of night, looking for the one person who I had a chance of finding.

I was panicking. I had never been in a situation like this, and I never wanted to. Worry and fear for my friends overwhelmed my senses, making my movements frantic yet shaky and cautious at the same time. My heart was hammering in my chest, and I was scared that it would shoot out. I could hear my pulse in my ears and the only sound was the desperate and erratic beating of my heart and heavy breathing, along with the sound of twigs and dried up leaves snapping and crackling as I stepped on them.

"Eddie?!" I whimpered, completely scared out of my mind. More so for my friends and less for myself. "Where are you?"

 _Don't lose hope, Lissa._ I told myself. Calm down _. Everything will be alright. Eddie will be fine and you both will go back to Court and tell the guardians about Rose and they'll rescue her._

Rose.. The Strigoi said that his boss was searching for her. But who was it? What did they want with Rose? Was she okay? What if they were hurting her?! What if they tortured her or killed her... Or turned her?! What if -

 _Lissa! Get a hold of yourself! Panicking isn't going to make things better._

I knew that was true, but I wasn't exactly in the calmest state. I had seen my dead guardian on the floor, someone who risked her life for me had lost it. Knowing that she died, trying to protect me.. It stirred up feelings of guilt and sorrow. I watched Eddie, a friend of Rose's and get backhanded into.. A tree? And Rose jumped into danger for me and ended up getting taken. Now I was here, alone and looking for Eddie as if my life depended on it. And in a way, it did. Though, I wasn't worried about my life so much, more like theirs. I was so worried about Eddie and Rose. I needed them to be okay.

A few more cautious, tentative steps forward, my feet hit a something. I shrieked in alarm, the scream piercing the night sky. I jumped back and fell back on my butt, my hands flew out to stop the fall. It hurt, but that was the last thing on my mind. I let out a shaky gasp.

What was that? It didn't feel hard enough to be a rock or something, but it wasn't soft like sand either.

Pulling out my phone from my sweater pocket, I quickly turned it on and turned the flashlight on. A full bright light illuminated a portion of my vision, and I pointed it in the direction of the thing I came across.

Though, it wasn't a thing. It was a person. A familiar person.

"Eddie!" I gasped as recognition and relief poured through me when I saw a steady rising and falling of his chest. He was breathing. He was alive. _Thank God._

I pushed myself forward and I crawled to his side, ignoring the sharp pain I got in my hands and knees from the gravel on the floor. I made sure to keep my hand that held my phone up so I could see where I was going. I hovered over Eddie, leaning back on my knees and shin bones for support, shining the light down on his face. He looked pretty battered and bloody, and he was unconscious, but I would heal him. I had too. I wanted too. I couldn't bare to see him all hurt, because of me. He got hurt protecting me. It was the least I could do in return.

I used my free hand to grasp his left hand and I nearly gasped at how cold it was. _Oh, Eddie... I'm so sorry._ I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself while preparing the magic at the same time. That's when I summoned it. I felt the flush of cold and heat shoot through me and I could feel the magic using where our hands were connected as a bridge to get to his body and heal him. The familiar and welcome tingles and waves of brilliant bliss and the feeling of being alive shot through me, flooding my other senses. Within seconds, I gasped and so did Eddie. His eyes shot open and that gasp of air escaped his lips. He stared above for a few seconds and I almost stopped breathing, suddenly feeling tired and worn out.

"Eddie?" I said wearily. His eyes darted to me and his upper body shot up. "Lissa! What.. What happened? Where are we?" He asked, frantically scanning the area surrounding us. "I don't know.. We were driving back to Court and our car just stopped and.. The Strigoi. Zara.. Guardian Buchanan is dead and you got hurt. The Strigoi took Rose, Eddie!" I explained, practically babbling. I gripped his shoulders. "We have to save her! The Strigoi took her!" I pleaded desperately. Eddie processed this and his face turned grim. "Okay.. But we have to get you back to Court.. Come on." He said and I nodded in agreement. Eddie stood up with little difficulty and helped me up. I was still a little woozy and felt mentally drained because of the magic, so I swayed a little before his arm reached out, steadying me. "You okay?" he asked intently and I nodded before giving him my phone to use as a flashlight. "Here. Use this." I murmured. Eddie took it and nodded. He pointed the flashlight ahead of us and we began to make our way back to the car, hoping it would work so we could get back to Court and find a way to save my best friend.

 _Don't worry, Rose._ I said, hoping she'd receive the message through our bond. _We're going to save you._

 **[….]**

 **DPOV**

 **IT WAS** late. Really late, at least in the Human Time schedule. I had been up, all this time, waiting for Rose, Lissa and the other two guardians that accompanied them to return. They were expected before 6PM human time, but it was now 7PM human time, yet they still weren't back.

I know I shouldn't worry; there was probably some reasonable explanation as to why they were late. Maybe the guardians got hungry and stopped to get something quick to eat, (I could definitely see my Roza getting hungry and begging for a food stop along the way). Maybe they were having car problems, or something else. I shouldn't worry, but.. There was this feeling in my gut.. I couldn't quite explain it, but some uncanny sense told me that something was not right.

Glancing down at my watch for the hundredth time in two minutes, I could feel my worry spiking up. I did my best to contain it, but it was growing difficult. I looked anxiously at the main Court entrance once again and sighed. I was overreacting and being paranoid. But I also felt a little guilty that I was worried more about Rose than Lissa, my charge. Damn.

That was exactly why Rose and I guarding the same charge was so dangerous. No matter what or how much it was shunned or looked down on, I would always put my Roza first. She came first in my heart and life. That wouldn't ever change. I would always worry about her - even though I knew Rose was perfectly good at handling herself.

That was why when Lissa and Eddie bursted through the front door, I knew something was wrong. I rushed to them, wondering why Rose wasn't with them. Where is she? Where is my Roza?

Keeping my demeanor calm, I asked to neither one of them in particular, "what is it? What's wrong?"

The look of dread, desperation and sorrow Lissa gave me sent the message right through. No.. Before she even said anything, I felt dizzy and lightheaded, and I hand to stretch my hand against the wall for balance as I stared at the two, dreading the words to come _. Please.. Don't say what I think you're going to.._

"Strigoi attacked us. They.. They took Rose." Lissa informed, the pain she felt seeping into her words.

No, no, no... No!

My heart sunk lower than ever before and panic ran deep within my soul. All the air was knocked out of me and I felt like I was going to faint any second now. No, no! Not my Roza! Not when she just got back! This wasn't real... This is a nightmare, and I'm going to wake up in my bed, with tears running down my face.

I shook my head at what Lissa just told me and I saw that she was on the verge of tears herself. Damn it! This was not supposed to happen! I was going to fight for my Roza's heart and trust when she returned from the trip. Why did this keep happening to us?!

This was my fault. I should've gone with them. I could've protected her! She wouldn't be in the hands of those evil bloodsucking monsters! If they laid a single finger on her or harmed one hair on her beautiful head, I swear I would -

 _Keep it together, Belikov. You need to stay strong. You can't panic. Like that, you won't accomplish anything. Make bringing Rose home safe and sound your number one priority, then killing the Strigoi your second._

I listened, but that wasn't enough to snap me out of my stage of shock and fear for Rose. That's when I gasped out the one word that seemed to remain constant in my mind since Lissa told me, even with all the self loathing, guilt over not being there for my beautiful Roza and promises to save her and get revenge on the Strigoi who ripped her away from me again. It was one word, yet it packed so much meaning and feeling. World crumbling around me, I said:

"No..."

 **[….]**

 **RPOV**

 **WHEN I** woke up, I had a horrible, throbbing headache. Shit. When would be the day I woke up with no complications? Groaning, I tried to throw my arm over my head, but I couldn't. Something held my hand in place. I tried with the other, and the results were futile. I winced when I tried to move the hand as pain shot through me. It was like something hard - and cold - was holding my hands in place. Behind me.

I also realized that I was sitting up, not laying down. What the-

I groaned and fought against my headache, then forced my eyes open. At first, my vision was blurred, and I could only make out darkness, but as it cleared I realized I was in a dark room. Sitting on a chair, with my hands cuffed to the wall behind me.

"Ah, lovely Rosemarie - you're awake." said a voice that send a shiver down my spine. The voice I identified as male left a cold chill in the air. "Who.. Who are you?" I rasped, looking up and scanning the dark room for anyone who could've spoken.

I saw no one. Just darkness. Fear pricked in my being, but I didn't allow it to control me or show. I had to be strong and fearless, even though how freaked out I was. This scene was all to familiar, and I hoped the events wouldn't repeat themselves.

Where was I? I racked my brain and when my closest memories flooded my mind, my heart nearly stopped.

The shopping trip, the car breaking down in the middle of the road, Zara dead on the ground with Eddie fighting Strigoi. Eddie getting backhanded into a tree and the Strigoi soon knocking me out, leaving Lissa defenseless.

"Lissa! Eddie!" I gasped and immediately began pulling at my binds, fighting to get free. When I pulled at my left hand, a surge of pain shot through me once more and I winced. "Where am I? Who are you?" I gritted out, fighting off the pain of my hand and head.

I heard a cold, sadistic chuckle that made my heart stop. "Calm down, child. There is no chance of escaping." The male said and when I recognized the horrible, evil edge to his voice, I came to the conclusion that I was indeed captured by the Strigoi. Well, shit.

"Now, I apologize for the drastic measures we took to keep you... In place, but well.. You're marked and we must worry about our own safety." The Strigoi said and I huffed. "I will ask you one more time: Where the hell am I and where are my friends?" I growled and the Strigoi stepped more forward, allowing me to see him better. From what I could make out, the Strigoi was male, and he was pretty tall. Granted, I was sitting down and he would tower over me even if he was my height, but he was tall. His height and slim figure led me to discover that he had been a Moroi before turning. His hair was past shoulder length and raven black, as dark as Christian's. His red eyes were cold and calculating, holding nothing but malice and evil - all Strigoi really felt. Yet, his face showed signs of mock amusement.

"My, my. Feisty aren't you? Yes.. The boss made a good decision with capturing you. And as for your friends, well.. I needn't say anything." He shot me a cold, evil smirk and I felt my insides shrivel up but I kept my look total guardian fierceness on my face.

"Where are they? What did you do to them?! I swear if you touched a single hair on their bodies, I will kill you, you son of a bitch." I hissed menacingly. The Strigoi let out a malicious laugh then, and exhaled in amusement and annoyance.

"Settle down, Rosemarie. There is no need for that. Besides, you are bound to the wall. There's no way of escaping."

"How do you know my name?" I demanded, ignoring his attempts to break my hope of escaping. "Who are you and how do you know my name?"

"Oh, how rude of me. My name is Darius Ozera, and well.. My boss sent the others for you. Yes, Hannah did die, but I daresay she brought that on herself..." He spoke more after that, but I tuned out after he said his name. Darius.

Darius _Ozera._

"O-Ozera?" I stammered incredulously, momentarily caught of guard. Darius saw that he through me off my game for a few moments and smirked, satisfied and intrigued. "Yes, Ozera. I do now know that you know my grandson. How is he? Graduated yet? I did hear from our spies that he was in a relationship with the Dragomir Princess. Ah, the Dragomirs. I heard she was with you before Zachary brought you -"

Again, I tuned out. His words hit me like a slap in the face. This man.. His grandson was in a relationship with the Dragomir Princess! Lissa! Oh.. Don't tell me..

"You.. Your grandson?! Christian is your grandson?!" I exclaimed in disbelief. Darius nodded, "yes, lovely Rosemarie. Though, he always was a stubborn child. When my son and his wife - Lucas and Moira - awakened themselves, the two wanted to turn Christian. Natasha interfered with their plans, though. She always was quite nosy and intrusive. Always stuck her head in things that didn't concern her." Darius recalled and I simply stared, stunned. Okay.. I did not see that coming. This man was Christian's grandfather and the father of Lucas and Tasha Ozera. What the -

"The death of my son and his wife were a shame, and one of my men, Isaiah, warned them against it. Well, that's were stubbornness gets you." Darius shrugged, as if the death of his son and daughter-in-law meant nothing to him at all. And they probably didn't. But when he mentioned Isaiah, his eyes glared at me accusingly and pointedly. I knew why. Isaiah was the Strigoi that held Christian, Mia, Eddie, Mason and I captive in Spokane - and he was the one who killed Mason. I ended up killing both him and Elena - our female Strigoi captor.

"Who is your boss? What do you want from me?" I inquired, pushing the shock of finding out this Strigoi's identity away. Darius turned around and headed for the door. "You'll find out soon enough, when he comes to visit you. I'll inform him that you're here. It was nice to finally meet you, Rosemarie." He said in a cold monotone voice.

I tried to call him back. It wasn't the smartest decision, considering he could kill me right here if he wanted to. "Hey! I'm not done with you-"

But he was already gone.

I cursed loudly in frustration and threw my head back to the wall I was chained to, and I immediately regretted it. When my head hit the hard, scratchy brick-like wall, it made the throbbing pain even worse and I groaned.

How could I had let this happen again? I was captured by Strigoi, again and I had no idea if Lissa and Eddie were okay and if they made it back to Court... And it was driving me nuts. I wished I had a way to see if they were okay and -

WAIT A MINUTE! I did have a connection to them. My bond with Lissa! And even though it was only one-way, it still would calm me a bit more to know that Lissa was alright. And Eddie.

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and searched for Lissa. When I 'found' her, I allowed myself to slip into her head.

I, well, She was in a familiar room, a large one with a desk in the middle. I recognized it as Hans' office and she was frustrated, angry and worried. Very worried. For me.

"-But who knows what they're doing to her? You have to organize a team to go save Rose!" Lissa ordered, on the verge of tears when she thought about the possibilities of what I could be going through right now. I felt my heart break for her and I wanted to tell her I was okay... For now. I also wanted to mention how I had somehow met Christian's now-Strigoi grandfather.

Hans kept his guardian mask firmly in place, but his eyes showed sympathy for Lissa. "I understand, Princess, and I'm sorry. But we cannot take action without the approval of Queen Tatiana."

Lissa felt outraged. My life was on the line and they were still waiting it out for the approval of the Queen. "Then get it! My best friend has been captured by Strigoi trying to protect me! You need to save her!" she exclaimed, completely losing it. No, Lissa.. Don't let the darkness get to you, I'll be okay. Don't worry about me.

I wanted to tell her that so badly, that she shouldn't be worried about me. But she was, and it was driving her insane not knowing if I was okay. My heart warmed at how concerned she was over me, but I didn't want her to be. She had more important things to deal with other than my rescue.

But Lissa would not give up. She would go to the ends of the earth to have me saved and home. Stubborn and strong-willed Lissa was coming out. She would stop at nothing to ensure my safety, just as I would do for her, except, it was my job to protect her. She was doing this because I was her best friend and she'd go crazy if she lost me. Both literally and figuratively.

Hans looked wary and taken aback as he studied Lissa's new composure. A new, fierce, determined and protective attitude burst out, replacing the sweet, kind and polite Princess Vasilisa. She had adopted a similar protective attitude when she restored Dimitri, but this took things to a whole other level. I had always done everything in my power to keep her safe and out of danger, this was the least she could do for me.

 _No, Lissa. I'll be fine. Don't Do anything stupid that will risk your life._

Again, damned one-way bond.

"Princess, you have to understand that I cannot take action without the approval of Queen Tatiana. I can't. I'm sorry." Hans told her, truly sincere. Lissa felt her heart drop, but she would not let this obstacle win. She still clung onto hope that I would be alright and with a swift goodbye, she turned around and left.

"Lissa," called a new voice from behind her. She spun around and was met with a very worried Dimitri.

 _Dimitri..._

I wondered how he had reacted when Lissa told him, if she had told him. The mixture of concern and distress on his face broke my heart, and Lissa felt bad for him.

"Dimitri," she greeted, trying to stay strong. "What... What did Hans say? Are they going to rescue her?" Dimitri asked, his eyes filled with hope, worry and love. Love for me. Oh Lord... Maybe.. Maybe he'd been telling the truth when he said he loved me and regretted his actions.

Lissa's head hung down, "no. Not until they get an approval from Queen Tatiana." She admitted, her objection to the news obvious in her words. She hated the fact that she couldn't do anything. She wanted to help me so badly, but she didn't know how. But she would. She would find a way.

Lissa slowly looked up and saw the look of outrage on Dimitri's face. "And why hasn't the Queen approved it?"

Lissa shrugged, "I don't know.. But if they don't receive word on her decision or on Rose's ... Condition by Monday, then they'll drop the effort." Lissa informed, heart in her throat.

Dimitri's face burned with anger, disbelief, heartbreak and distress. He was so, so desperate to help me, I could see it in his face. His worry broke my heart and I forgot why I was so mad at him for the lasting moments.

That's when Dimitri snapped, and cursed loudly in Russian, causing Lissa to flinch at his angry and completely pissed off tone, and some Moroi and dhampirs looked in their direction, but Lissa and Dimitri ignored their disapproving and confused stares.

"Дерьмо! Черт возьми!" Dimitri shouted. "What do you mean, they'll just 'drop the effort'?! They'll just give up? Not save her?" He shouted at Lissa and she flinched. The calm, collected Guardian Dimitri Belikov was gone. This man was a pissed off Russian battle god, who was willing to go through hell and back a thousand times to protect the one he loves.

Her thoughts, not mine.

Seeing how upset Dimitri was, kind of woke me up a bit. Maybe... Maybe he was in love with me, still. Maybe..

"Yes," squeaked Lissa, scared that Dimitri would go on a rampage. He was fuming now, and she didn't want to provoke him. "That's... Ugh! How can they not save her! She's been captured by Strigoi, for God's sakes! And they give Tatiana until Monday to make a decision?!" Dimitri bellowed. Okay, he was completely pissed off.

"Dimitri, calm down. We can't get overwhelmed. We'll save her. Monday is five days away and I... I have an idea." Lissa said, trying to calm the Russian God down. Dimitri almost snapped again, but in his eyes, I could see that he knew he had to calm down. Freaking out would get them nowhere.

Dimitri took a few deep breaths and sighed, worn out. "What?" he asked and Lissa nodded.

She had an idea, but for some reason, I couldn't 'see' it. So I stayed tuned in her head.

"Okay.." She began in a hushed tone, ending the show for the onlookers. "I'm going to get the help of -"

I was snapped out of her head by a clatter in the real world. I blinked, looking around frantically, trying to figure out where I was. When I saw nothing but a dark room with the only light being a filtered window, which didn't even give off a lot of light, my hopes shattered. The only furniture in this room was the very uncomfortable wooden chair I was chained to with my hands cuffed to the wall behind me. There was also a door that you needed a key to get out of. Other than that, this room was empty. It was also cold in here - like, couldn't they at least put a heater in?

Sighing, I leaned back into the chair, knowing I was going to be here a while.

 **[….]**

 **I GUESS** I fell asleep, because I found myself in a spirit dream.

At first, the world around me swam with color that was void of shape. But everything fell into place and I found myself in a very luxurious room with velvet red walls and a large king sized bed with warm-looking red covers.

"What the-"

"Little dhampir." said a voice behind me and I sighed. Yep. Of course this was because of Adrian.

Slowly turning around, I was met with the emerald green eyes of Adrian Ivashkov. He grinned when he saw me, but I could see determination in his eyes.

"Hey, Adrian. Where are we this time?" I asked and he smirked slyly. "My room. Thought it was the one chance I'd get to have you in here alone. All to myself. Besides, it seems like I can't stay away from you." He said suggestively and wiggled his eyebrows. I scowled at him, "watch it. I can still kick your ass in a spirit dream." I warned and he mocked fear.

"You wouldn't."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Remind me why we're friends again?"

"Because you love me and you can't live without me." Adrian said dramatically and I rolled my eyes. He turned serious though and a solemn look of determination came over him, no hint of playfulness or his snarky attitude anywhere.

"Rose, where are you?"

I frowned, "um.. Here, with you."

"No, I mean in the waking world. Where are you?"

Then it all came back to me. My subconscious or spirit or whatever you wanted to call it was in this dream with Adrian, my actual body was in a room, in a house I had gotten dragged to after Strigoi captured me. Oh my God.. This was probably the reason Adrian visited me.

"Oh God, Adrian" I gasped in realization and recollection. "The Strigoi... They brought me to this room, in a house, I think.. Their 'boss' wanted me and-"

"Who's the boss?" Adrian demanded and I hung my head down. "I don't know.. I haven't seen him yet." I admitted and Adrian sighed. "Okay, do you know where you are? Still in Pennsylvania or..?"

"No.. I don't. I just woke up in this room. I don't know what they want with me." I contemplated telling him that one of my captors was actually Christian's Strigoi grandfather and Tasha's father. Before I could, he went rigid.

"Have they... Have they hurt you?" He asked hesitantly, but the concern in his voice was really evident. It warmed my heart and shook my head. "No, they haven't. Don't worry, Adrian. Everything will be okay. I'm tough." I assured him and he sighed. "I know that, Rose. But... We're going to save you. Lissa and Belikov are coming up with a plan and Eddie... He's not in good shape. He feels guilty that this happened to you.. No one is doing good without you here, little dhampir. Especially Dimitri."

Hearing that Eddie was beating himself up with guilt tore at my heart, and to learn that Lissa and Dimitri were plotting to no doubt get me out of here, but I didn't want them to just throw themselves into danger. Even Dimitri, my hard feelings towards him had lessened when I saw how devastated he was when he learned I had been taken.

"How.. How is he?" I asked hesitantly and Adrian frowned, "who? Belikov?"

I nodded, a little uncomfortable.

"He's not doing well.." Adrian began, turning a bit thoughtful. "He's worried about you, devastated that they took you, and it seems like the only thing keeping him going is his hope that you'll be okay. That he can save you." Adrian told me and I felt my heart crack. "His aura, though..." He continued, almost breathless.

"What about his aura?" I whispered, yet I didn't know if I could hear more about Dimitri's current state; it would only make me feel even guiltier on the way I had treated him, when it was clear that he did care about me.

Adrian turned musing, "It's.. Like... Incomplete. His aura had been similar when you were in Istanbul, and right now, it's like it's missing something huge. It's other half. Like I said, his hope, determination to find you and bring you home safely his love for you are the only things keeping his aura from being swallowed by some inner darkness. It's as if you're his catalyst. His rock.."

I stared at him, stunned. Whoa. Adrian just practically described Dimitri and I as soulmates. I didn't know how to feel about him telling me how significant I was to Dimitri. A huge part of me felt joyous and like I could do anything, another felt guilty over how badly I'd treated him, and a small piece of me - the more stubborn and evil part of me kept warning me against letting my love for Dimitri take over.

I didn't know what to do, what to say, or what to think, but something inside me spoke for me as well. "I need him too..." I admitted and Adrian grinned broadly. "Tell him to take care of Lissa, and not to put their lives in danger. Especially not for me. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to him or Lissa.." The mere thought of harm coming to Dimitri and/or Lissa made my heart ache and break terribly.

"Don't worry, little dhampir. Nothing is going to happen to us. To you. We'll get you out of there." He promised and I turned pleading. "Adrian, please be careful. All of you. Don't do anything stupid. Please."

Adrian smiled softly, "stupid and impossible missions are our specialty. We'll get you out of there - one way or another."

And with one last glance, the world around us dissolved, Adrian and I dissolved.

My eyes snapped open at the sound of a something shutting in the real world. I jerked awake, looking for my 'visitor'. A man - a Strigoi - stepped into my visible vision. He was pretty tall and slim, indicating that he too had been a Moroi before turning over. His hair was short and brown, and his cold, evil and calculating red eyes studied me, mock amusement and amazement in them.

"Oh, Rosemarie awakens. When my men told me they had you, I didn't believe them at first; had to see for myself. And, my, you truly are as lovely as they say. Deadly as well, lethal. A beautiful Rose... With her thorns." The male Strigoi said, a thick Russian accent laced his words, and I could hardly make out what he was saying. Dimitri had a Russian accent as well, but his was warm and gentle, and not nearly as thick or cold.

"Ah, yes.. Rose.. _Roza._ " I flinched at his use of my Russian name. Only Dimitri - and his family - called me 'Roza' but this Strigoi was Russian, so it was most likely coincidental, but it still sent a shudder down my spine. His words held malice and evil cunning, but the name itself reminded me of Dimitri and the conversation I had with Adrian.

I thought about Dimitri, and it didn't make me upset like it would like, two days ago. Instead, I felt my heart break when I thought of him, not knowing if I'd ever see him again. And with the cruel way I treated him last time I did see him in the flesh, when all he'd done was tell me how much he had missed me and how much he felt bad for hurting me, and that he loved me.. And I had always rejected him and refused to see him. Now, all I wanted was to see him. To have him wrap me in the warmth and safety of his arms and tell me everything would be okay, after I'd apologized to him for being a bitch with him and asked him for his forgivene-

Whoa. Was.. Was it possible that I was starting to forgive him for hurting me? That I was beginning to accept my feelings for him back into my life? My love for him? That I was beginning to accept how much I truly needed him because his soul was the one that completed mine?

Snapping out my reverie, I responded to the Strigoi in my hoarse and raspy voice, "what do you want with me? Who are you?" I kept my voice as strong and demanding as I could.

The Strigoi smirked evily. "Ah, ah, ah" He chided. "All in good time, Rosemarie. But first, I have a few questions to ask you, regarding the Moroi Royal Court."

I gritted my teeth. So that's why they wanted me. Well, too bad. I wasn't going to give them answers. Especially not on the Moroi Royal Court, even though it was heavily warded. That incident with the rock and the note set me on edge.

"Go to hell." I hissed.

The Strigoi sighed 'sadly' before muttering, "such a shame. To marr such a beautiful face.."

I frowned, "wha-"

His hand pulled back and slapped me, square on my cheek. I cried out in shock and pain, because it hurt. It really did. If my chair and hands hadn't been chained to the wall, I would've fallen off because of the force. That was certain to leave a mark.

I looked up at him, forcing as much hatred into my look as possible. He remained impassive as he told me, "now will you be cooperative, Rosemarie? To avoid any... Unwanted violence?"

I growled, "Sorry _, hombre._ But I'm not telling you anything." A look of frustration and anger flickered on his face, but bitter amusement replaced it. "Ah, Rosemarie. Young and feisty. So passionate. Maybe it is time I revealed my reasons for bringing you here to you.."

I stayed silent, but glared at him.

"You see, I was born to the Ivashkov Royal family. My father always told me that if I wanted something, to stop at nothing to achieve it. That's why I have you here." He began. An Ivashkov. This Strigoi was an Ivashkov, but why did he need me here? Why me?

"You know someone I want to reach out to. And if my sources are correct, you are very close to him." The Strigoi continued. Him. A guy. I racked my brain. The only Ivashkov I knew and was fairly close to was Adrian, but maybe he wasn't talking about one of his own relatives.

"If my sources are correct, you know him and are able to contact him. You were in a... Forbidden relationship with him, hmm?" He smirked and my heart nearly stopped. I froze and my mouth went dry. The only guy he could be talking about was.. No... No this couldn't be happening.

After a few moments of silence, I whispered, "who are you?" My voice was weak and I hated it. But I had lost my fire for the time being, shock and the fact that I didn't want to believe what this man was implying took over. No.. I was being paranoid. After what had happened recently, with getting captured, meeting Christian's Strigoi grandfather and my new realization and acceptance of my feelings for Dimitri, this could not be happening. Things could not get any more twisted.

Knowing he had me, the Strigoi smiled evily and darkly mysterious. "My name is Randall Ivashkov, and I am the biological father of Dimitri Belikov."

Apparently they could.

 **[….]**

 **A/N: OOOHHHHHH! How was that?! That was one hell of a chapter to write, and one LONG one, too! Over 6000 words! The longest chapter I've written so far!**

 **So Rose has been captured by Strigoi, met Christian's Strigoi grandfather and Dimitri's now Strigoi deadbeat-so-called- father! And she is beginning to forgive Dimitri, but will she live to be reunited with him? And how will Dimitri react when he learns that Randall has the woman he loves held as prisoner? And WHY did Randall want Rose? Will they save her on time?**

 **Tell me what you think! Review please!**

 **Xoxo,**

 **||RozaBelikov1996||**

 **TRANSLATION (S)**

 **"Дерьмо! Черт возьми!" = Russian for 'Shit! Damn it!'**


	11. Chapter 11: The Apple Doesn't Fall Far

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own the world of VA or any of the recognizable characters. I just own THIS Fanfic's plot. All other credit goes to the lovely Richelle Mead**

 **Chapter 11: The Apple Doesn't Fall Far From The Tree**

 **~X~**

 **RPOV**

 **I WAS** stunned.

Completely caught off guard.

 _What?_

This wasn't happening. It was all too twisted for me.

Lots of things ran through my mind, like, this Strigoi said his name was Randall Ivashkov, and if he was who he claimed to be - Dimitri's dead beat, abusive Moroi father - then that meant that Adrian and Dimitri were in some way related.

I did not see that coming.

Finally recovering, I closed my mouth from it's previous hung-wide-open status of shock and disbelief. "No... You're lying." I accused, not wanting to believe that I had been captured by Dimitri's Strigoi 'father'.

Randall chuckled menacingly, "but it's true, Roza, and that's why you're here." I flinched at his use of my Russian name. If he kept using it, the nickname would be forevermore ruined for me - even if it was coming from Dimitri.

That was, if I ever got out of here.

No, I couldn't give up so easily. I would escape; I always did. I would fight for my freedom and life, because I had too much to return to.

When I realized who was in front of me, I felt bile rising up in my throat and my insides recoiled. This man was a monster, (An even worse one now), one who beat and abused Dimitri's mother, Olena. He was a sick son of a bitch and I was disgusted to be in his presence.

"Why do you want me here?" I demanded, trying to keep my voice strong as I fought through the remaining sharp pain on my cheek, and the ache of my bound hand.

Randall smiled sadistically and when it added to the sickening red eyes, I thought I was going to throw up. "You see, Dimka was always such a difficult and... Different child." he began bitterly. I glared at him, each word that came out of his mouth made my skin crawl. "His mother and sisters were always too pathetic and weak to stand up for themselves; especially Olena."

I gritted my teeth, hearing him talk about Dimitri's family set me off, especially considering I actually met them and grew fairly close to them, although with the way I left things with Viktoria, I wouldn't be surprised if she very well hated me. Still, I would not tolerate anyone talking badly about them. The Belikovas were wonderful, even Yeva, who I never really got along with during my time in Baia - which seemed so long ago.

"Don't talk about them like that," I snapped and Randall looked impressed in a more foul and vile way. "Hm, you really are one of a kind, Rosemarie." He observed, his Russian accent growing hard and robotic, with the smallest hint of amusement in his voice.

"Fuck off." I growled and his eyes narrowed in irritation and anger. "Obviously you must be taught a lesson in respect." Randall sneered and I froze for a bit. Had I gone to far? This man was a monster, who knows what he'd do to me, without any hesitation.

Randall turned around and took slow, dangerous steps towards the door and opened it. I tried to cock my head to the side to see what was beyond it, but his figure in the doorway and how little he opened it didn't allow such action.

"ALEKSEI! LEMUEL!" Randall boomed and I flinched at the sound of his loud, harsh voice. Within seconds, two figures appeared at the doorway, but Randall's body shielded them from my vision.

"Yes, master?" a male said, submissiveness in his voice. Randall stepped to the side and looked dangerously at me. My blood ran cold at his malicious and cruel smirk. This new angle allowed me to see the two men, both were human. They were probably working for Randall, in hopes of receiving immortality in return.

"This young lady right here needs to be taught... a lesson. See to it that you.. Correct her every time she is uncooperative." Randall sneered and I froze. Oh my God.. Please don't tell me..

The two men - Aleksei and Lemuel - stalked towards me, slow and menacing, but I kept my brave composure. Aleksei and Lemuel - I couldn't tell them apart - stood at attention on either side of me. I felt myself stiffen and I looked up at Randall. He tried one more time.

"Do tell me what I need to know, and we won't have to add violence to your stay here, hmm?" he bargained and I bit back a scowl, but there was no way I was answering any questions regarding the Moroi, nor would I betray any of my loved ones - Dimitri included.

I averted my eyes from his ice cold red ones, remembering that he was a Strigoi. While I had a good resistance to compulsion, he might go all the way and force the answers he wanted out of me.

I heard an annoyed growl that I realized came from Randall. Truth be told, it scared me. He scared me, but I forced myself to be brave. Randall was a monster before turning over, now this just made it worse. I also knew that Dimitri had kicked his ass when he was only thirteen, so had he still been Moroi, I would've been able to do the same and much worse now, but his Strigoi features made that harder, and also the fact that I was bound by chains and cuffed to the wall.

"You kidnapped the wrong person; I'm not telling you anything." I huffed mulishly and Randall sighed. "Well, I tried. Lemuel." Randall said with a nod of his head towards me. The man on my right side - Lemuel - moved in front of me. I saw the smallest glint of hesitation in his eyes, but his hand inclined back, and flew towards my face. Before I knew it, I felt a sharp pain on my right cheek. I grunted and looked up at Randall through the painful tingling.

"So that's your plan?" I grunted through the stinging which was certain to leave a mark. "To beat the answers out of me? I'm not going to betray the Moroi, so that won't work." I tried to put the perfect amount of snark and seriousness into my voice.

"I thought Strigoi were supposed to be smarter tha-" My taunting words were cut off by another hard slap to my face - this time from Randall, so it hurt a lot more. I hissed in pain and I believed I had whiplash from my neck snapping to the side so much.

I felt something clutch my shirt and tug me forward as far as I could go with the binds, and I felt a familiar sharp soreness in my left hand. I looked up but some of my hair was in my face. Through the locks, I could make out a face. It was the other human guy who I think was named Aleksei, and his eyes were hard and demanding. "Don't talk that way about our master!" he rebuked and I managed a sickly smirk, but I kept my eyes earnest and serious. "Your master? He won't give you immortality, you know. He's lying to-"

"Silence!" came the roar of Randall. Aleksei and Lemuel jumped in fear, while my insides churned. Aleksei released me, and went to stand at my side. Randall glared at me, fury and impatience in his hellish red eyes. "Rosemarie - I didn't want it to come to this, but you have left me no choice. I will keep you here until you tell me what I want to know, regarding my...Son. If not, the price won't be pretty." Randall warned, his voice not even 'icy' anymore. It froze a hundred degrees over and left a chill in the air enough to make me shudder. "Do I make myself absolutely clear?" His accent was thick right now. I had really angered him.

"I don't care what you do to me." I said honestly. "I won't give up my friends." Dimitri was much more than a friend to me, and even though the last time I saw him, things between us hadn't been so great, and our 'friendship' or 'relationship' was nonexistent, but ever since getting captured, I realized how much I truly missed him - even in Istanbul. I missed what we had. I missed him - and I'll be damned before I sold him out to these monsters.

Randall chuckled, but it held no humor. Just evil. And malice. "You say that now. How about I add this to the equation?" He said and held up a small black object. Further examination made me realize it was my phone.

Oh _shit._

"Ah, I can easily call Dimka or the Dragomir Princess and schedule a... Meeting? I'll probably call Dimka, though. We have some.. Unfinished business to take care of."

I froze as all the blood from my face drained. No! I couldn't let him do that - and it would be my fault if any of my friends - And he specifically mentioned Lissa and Dimitri - were in danger. If anything happened to Lissa or Dimitri, I would go crazy. I couldn't allow that.

"No!" I blurted out and that earned my a triumphant look in Randall's eyes. "Don't you dare. If you lay a finger on any of them, I will fucking kill you." I warned and Randall's eyes widened slightly in amusement and surprise. Aleksei looked up at Randall expectantly, but Randall gave him a small shake of his head.

"Well, you are just full of surprises, aren't you, Roza? Though I'm afraid I will have to contact Dimka. Although, I am sure you did receive my small heads-up notice before I sent Zachary and Hannah after you. I'm sure my messenger got the letter to you, hmm?"

I frowned, momentarily confused. Then I got it. My eyes widened in shock and realization. "It was you." I breathed. The ends of Randall's lips curled up in a malevolent smirk that made my skin crawl and heart nearly stop. "It was you. You were the one who shattered my window with a rock!" I exclaimed angrily and Randall tsked. "No, Rosemarie. Not exactly. That was one of my 'messengers'. She wishes to see you, actually." he recalled and I hid a sneer. "Oh? And who is she?" I questioned lowly and Randall hid a diabolical look. He turned to Lemuel, "send for the girl." he muttered to Lemuel and with a small bow which made me snort - and that snort earned me a glare from both Randall and Aleksei, who seemed to dislike me - then Lemuel walked to the door and was gone.

"Who is the 'messenger' psychopath who shattered my window and threatened my best friend?" I demanded and Randall simply ignored me. It was infuriating.

Minutes later, there was a knock on the door and my heart raced with anticipation. This person - this woman - was pretty much responsible for me being here, not at Court protecting Lissa. She was pretty much the one responsible for the attack during our way back from the shopping trip. Because of her, I was now stuck here with Dimitri's Strigoi father.

Randall turned to the door and beamed with an unpleasant emotion. "Ah. She's here."

Randall walked to the door and unlocked it before slowly opening it. "Come in. Rosemarie's here." Randall said to whoever was on the other side. Then he stepped aside and I held my breath.

And my heart nearly stopped at who I saw.

"TASHA?!" I spluttered in my state of complete shock and disbelief.

Tasha Ozera stood there, sly and devious with a smirk on her face. "Hello, Rose. It's nice to see you again." she purred and there was definitely something off about her. She was standing in the more dark side of the room, but I had still been able to identify her. But her voice.. She had that voice. One of pure evil and desire to do harm to others. My breath caught in my throat when she stepped where I could see her better. Then I saw the eyes. Eyes that used to be a beautiful, piercing pale blue were now a disgusting, malicious, piercing blood red. Her skin was pale. More pale than any Moroi's, yet her cheeks still had the slightest tint of pink, of warmth, meaning she had been 'awakened' recently. Studying her face more, I could see that her scar on her left cheek was now gone. Fully healed. She had always been beautiful as a Moroi, but now, as a Strigoi, she was beautiful in a striking, evil way.

"You.. You're a Strigoi?" I asked, not wanting to believe it myself, even though the evidence was right in front of me. Tasha was one of the few Moroi who believed in using magic defensively against the Strigoi! She wouldn't turn Strigoi... Maybe they forcibly turned her into this monster. I began to think how Christian would react to this.. Oh, he would be crushed. Tasha was basically the only one he had, that was family. Tasha actually protected him against Strigoi! Now she was one. Dimitri also came to mind. Him and Tasha were old friends, and while I had grown jealous of her some time ago, I wondered how he would react to one of his oldest friends being a soulless, evil monster who would kill innocent people for the rest of their lives. I pictured one of my friends as Strigoi, and my heart ached. Dimitri had once been Strigoi, but that was a different story.

Tasha's cold voice snapped me out of my reverie, and it sent a chill through me. "Yes. I was awakened when I encountered my father weeks ago. Of course, before that I paid a little visit to Court and to your wing." She smirked and I stared at her in disbelief. It was her. She was the one who sent that note, via my window. It was all her. And if she was able to get into Court, she was still a Moroi when she sent that threat. Oh my-

"Your father.. So you got turned willingly?" I asked and Tasha nodded. The shock and disbelief grew. "Yes. After I learned that my father had been awakened, I realized just how blind I was. But.." Her chilly voice trailed off and I recoiled at the sound of a voice so cold and evil - one from a woman I knew and sort of liked.

"But what?" I whispered and a devious and mysterious glint flickered in her eyes. "I need someone to share my new, improved immortal life with. And I have to get to him, through you."

My blood ran cold when I realized who she was talking about. "No." I declined, my voice was small. Barely audible. More like a gasp really. I shook my head, "no. No! You're crazy if you think Dimitri will join you." I retorted, my voice much louder and stronger. Tasha glowered, "quiet! Or I will send my father in-"

"Yeah, I met your father. You both turned Strigoi by choice! Are you crazy, Tasha? I thought you were better than that!" I taunted and those red eyes sparked with a growing fury. But I continued to anger her, in hopes of steering her mind away from Dimitri. "Though I'm not surprised. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, I guess." I shrugged and Tasha exploded. Huh. And that was hardly anything. I guess being a Strigoi made you a ticking time bomb with less patience and a lower control for anger.

"SHUT UP! Shut up, you filthy blood whore!" she shrieked in a shrill voice that made me cringe, but I clenched my jaw and kept my face and voice hard. "I'm not a blood whore," I said very slowly and Randall cut in. "Alright, enough. Natasha, it is obvious you two know each other, but I brought you here for one reason and one reason only." He said, voice hard and loud. Tasha glared, but I could see that she was holding back her anger. Strigoi strength was based on age, and with Tasha being new and Moroi before turning, it was obvious she wasn't as strong as Randall, who looked older and, while he had been a Moroi, he was male, so that strength carried over. Even if Tasha had been a decent fighter for being a Moroi, something told me that she was still uncoordinated and didn't quite know how to use her new strength and speed.

"Of course," Tasha said tightly and Randall turned his eyes to me, but I quickly averted them to avoid the use of compulsion. "Why do you have me here, really?" I asked and Randall smiled sickly.

"We need you to be bait for Dimka."

 **[….]**

 **DPOV**

 **TWO DAYS.**

Two days, fifteen hours, thirty-six minutes, fourty seconds and counting.

That's how long Rose has been missing.

Yet, guess who's counting?

And each second that went by without knowing anything about Rose's whereabouts or her current condition was driving me insane. Ever since she had been taken, I hadn't gotten a wink of sleep. I was working restlessly, trying to bring her back safely. All of us had. Lissa, Eddie, who blamed himself for the ordeal and the death of Guardian Buchanan, Adrian and Christian had also helped in any way they could. Adrian was able to speak with his great aunt, Queen Tatiana about organizing a team to go find her, but we hadn't gotten word back. I was functioning on auto-pilot. I felt as if my world had been torn in half, and I was working to retrieve the other half. I couldn't rest until my Roza was home, safe and in my arms.

Lissa and I had been working extra hard, trying to convince the guardians that this was a mission worth the risk. The ranks couldn't lose such a talented guardian, and I simply could not be without Rose. It was impossible. During her time in Istanbul, I had been in a similar state, feeling as if a huge part of my heart and soul had been missing, but now it was worse. Right now, I knew she was in the hands of the Strigoi - And I swear, if they had laid a finger on a single strand of hair on her beautiful head, I would kill them all, drawing out their suffering. Adrian had tried dream-walking her and while I wasn't completely on-board with the idea of him visiting the woman I loved in her dreams, I would do anything to get her home safely.

The first time it worked, Adrian had told me that Rose's aura was beginning to 'heal', meaning that it wasn't outlined with as much hurt and anger as it had been before. Adrian said that she was starting to forgive me. Too bad I wasn't around when it happened.

I missed her. I needed her home and safe, here with me. I couldn't lose her, and goodness knows we had been working restlessly to get her home safe, but we didn't exactly know where to look.

"Belikov!" called a voice behind me. I quickly turned around and saw Adrian rushing towards Christian, who was comforting a distressed Lissa, Eddie and I. He looked ecstatic and like he had something big to share. My heart took a leap of hope. "What? Have you been able to reach her..?" I asked when he finally reached us, trying to contain my hope and franticness. Adrian knew who I meant by 'her' and upon seeing the grinning Ivashkov, Lissa's head shot up from Christian's shoulder and everyone straightened up at attention. "Is it about Rose?" Lissa whispered anxiously and almost fearfully, yet with a glint of hope in her jade green eyes.

"I haven't heard back from my aunt, but I believe I know where Rose might be." Adrian said. Not exactly what we wanted to hear, but if Adrian was right, we would have a new lead. "Where? How do you know?" asked Eddie and Adrian faltered a little bit.

"Well.. I might know how to find out." He admitted a bit sheepish. "And how would that be?" said Christian and Adrian's confident and determined demeanor returned. "I can visit her dreams, but let her pick the place, though according to her current location." Adrian explained and while my head wrapped around the idea, Lissa stepped out of Christian's hold and came to stand by me so she could face Adrian.

"What do you mean?" Lissa frowned, puzzled. "I mean that I can alter the dream 'settings' so Rose's subconscious will make the place, according to where she is now." Adrian clarified further and Lissa's face immediately brightened, as did my heart. Yes! If this works, we'll be closer to finding out where Roza is so we can save her!

"That's brilliant! But.. How will we know where she actually is?" Eddie asked and Adrian looked at him knowingly. "I'll find out. But I have to check if she's asleep. Let's go to my room." Adrian suggested. I frowned. I felt a little... Wary? About going to Adrian Ivashkov's room, I mean, who knows how many women he's had in there?

But this was a chance to help us find my Roza, so we all agreed and we made our way to Adrian's room, all with the same hope that this would lead us to Rose.

"I need to fall asleep; don't make any noise." Adrian muttered before climbing onto his bed and laying down on his back. We all nodded. I was sweating bullets, hoping and praying that Rose was asleep and that this plan worked.

It was dead silent for about 7 minutes, and my heart rate was increasing by the second. Adrian had went limp by now and we all realized he was sleeping. Hopefully, he would be able to reach Rose.

Unexpectedly, my phone began to buzz in my pocket. I groaned inwardly but reached inside to pick it up. I looked at the screen and my heart soared when I saw who it was.

 **Roza**

I immediately pressed the green 'answer' button and held it to my ear. "Hello? Rose?" I nearly yelled into the phone, heart hammering out of my chest. As soon as I said her name, everyone's heads snapped towards me, eyes wide in shock. Just before Lissa could say something, I heard a voice on the other end. One that most definitely was not Rose's.

"Ah, Dimka. Is that you? My, it's been so long."

I felt myself stiffen and my heart nearly came to a halting, screeching stop. What? That sounded like - No. No, that wasn't.. "How have you been? How has Olena been? And the girls?" the voice taunted further and I finally regained myself. "Don't bring them into this." I snapped and everyone looked at me, completely lost, but I had been drawn away from the current world. It wasn't true. That this man wasn't who I thought he was.

"Now, that's no way to talk to your father!" He admonished and I felt a chill go down my spine at the degree of coldness in his words. I gritted my teeth, forced to accept the cruel reality of what was happening. "You are no such thing. Where is she? Where is Rose?" I demanded harshly and I heard a fiendish chuckle.

"Dimitri, what is going on?" Lissa exclaimed and I shot her a look that told her to hold her tongue. It wasn't rude, per sé, but it got the message across. She obeyed, but it was clear how much she wanted to know what was happening. Truth be told, I didn't know myself. I just knew that the horrible, sadistic man on the other line had somehow gotten ahold of Rose's phone, when Lissa had told us that Strigoi had taken her.

And that's when I put two and two together. No. That wasn't true. Randall had been a monster in his Moroi state, so would he make himself the ultimate monster by becoming an evil, cruel, soulless Strigoi? And to make matters worse, he could very well have my Roza.

"Don't worry, Dimka. Rose is... Alive. For now, at least." He taunted and I felt bile rising in the back of my throat and my insides boiled. "Don't you dare lay a finger on her, Randall." I growled warningly into the phone and out of the corner of my eye, I saw fear peak in the eyes of those around me, but I ignored it. My only intents were on saving Roza, and making it clear to this bastard that he'd better not harm her in any way.

"DIMITRI BELIKOV! You will not speak to me that way! I am your father and you will respect me!" Randall roared and I flinched slightly at the loud noise, but I realized I shouldn't anger him. I couldn't give him an excuse to harm Roza.

"What do you want?" I said briskly and I heard his huff of annoyance. "We have some.. Unfinished business to take care of, and now is the perfect time to tend to it." He began and I suppressed a growl. "Listen to these directions, and listen well, or Rosemarie here will pay the price for it."

Something in me faltered, and I hated it, but I knew I had to listen, because I didn't want my Roza to get hurt, at all. I needed her to be safe, and as long as she was with that monster, she wouldn't be, so I had to do everything in my power to ensure that Randall didn't hurt her.

"Okay," I agreed grudgingly. I heard his hum of appreciation. "Good. Now, I will send you directions in ten minutes. You will meet me at the place at the time I give you. If you bring anyone with you, the girl dies." My heart stopped and shattered and the blood drained from my face at the mere thought of that happening. That is why I knew, for Rose's sake, I had to obey.

"Do I make myself absolutely clear?" Randall said, voice unbelievably hard and very clear. I gulped, "yes."

"Good," he said, bitterly satisfied. "I will see you later, Dimka. Hopefully I do not have to harm Rose anymore, that will be up to you and your actions, though."

I was completely outraged and my blood boiled when I understood his words. Anymore. The son of a bitch had hurt her. "WHAT?" I boomed, completely losing it. But, my attempts were vain, because the line went dead. He disconnected.

"RANDALL!" I shouted angrily and my free fist clenched at my side, while the one I held the phone with nearly crushed the small object. Russian obscenities spilled from my mouth at the thought that Randall had layed a single finger on my Roza. Flashes of him harming her beautiful face and body made my insides boil with my fury. Dammit!

"Dimitri, what happened?" Lissa asked, tentatively and almost fearfully, making me stop in my tracks. It was then that I realized I had been pacing the floor. "He has her." I growled, "Randall has Rose."

"Who's Randall?" asked Eddie, confused. "My so-called father. He took Rose, to get to me..." My words faltered at the end as the realization dawned upon me. This was my fault. Randall has Rose, and he most likely hurt her,

with intentions on getting to me. She wasn't here, she wasn't safe, because of me. A stab of guilt pierced my heart.

"Your.. Your father? But Lissa said that Strigoi had her and - oh..." Christian said, and I gave them a pained look. "He.. I think he's a Strigoi."

"And was that him? What did he want?" questioned Lissa and I sagged in defeat. "He wants me to meet up with him.. Alone." I added. "You can't go alone," argued Eddie, "it's a trap. If he's a Strigoi, then he's obviously evil and if he has Rose.."

"I know, but if I bring anyone, he'll kill her." I choked the last part out. Just saying it made my heart clench. Horror and shock struck their faces. "So what now?" said Christian.

"I don't know," I admitted. "But I can't take the risk that he's not serious." I told them, voice determined. "Randall was a monster before turning over, who knows what he'll do now?" I said darkly.

"We need a plan, because no matter how good Dimitri is, Strigoi aren't exactly known for staying true to their word." Eddie announced darkly. He had a point there. "We need a carefully, thought out plan."

Suddenly, a new voice spoke. "A plan I can arrange for you." We all looked at Adrian, who was sitting up on his bed. "Were you able to reach her?" asked Lissa and Adrian nodded. "Yes, and she told me some pretty... Unbelievable things." Adrian said seriously, no sign of any playfulness anywhere. He looked up at Christian, eyes serious yet sympathetic and a little wary. Adrian's face was grim. Something was definitely not right. And it had something to do with Christian.

"What?" frowned Christian, uneasy. Adrian sighed and looked down.

Silence.

"Adrian, what is it?" Christian urged, bracing himself for what was to come. Tension hung in the air at Adrian's silence. "First of all, I found out I have another cousin." Adrian admitted, holding off on the news regarding Christian, much to his irritation. "Who?" Lissa questioned and Adrian looked at me. "Dimitri here is the son of Randall Ivashkov, who is my own father's brother." He revealed and I froze, and my mind begun to spin. I nearly winced at the reference to my so called 'Father' who I just got off the phone with. Adrian was my cousin. I was related to womanizing, arrogant Adrian. I wasn't sure how I felt about that, but that was the least of my worries. "And... He's a Strigoi. He's the one who has Rose captive." Adrian added, a little weary. My face darkened, "I know."

Adrian frowned, confused, "how?"

Christian cut in, "we'll explain later. What does that have to do with me?" He asked hastily and Adrian's face went serious again, wincing slightly.

"Christian..." sighed Adrian and looked down, rubbing the back of his neck. "You... Your..." Adrian trailed off, as if he was trying to find a way to put his words. Christian was going crazy with the suspense, "what? Tell me, Ivashkov!" He demanded.

Adrian looked up to meet Christian's icy blue eyes. "I'm sorry, but Rose told me that your aunt Tasha was one of the Strigoi holding her." he conceded before the atmosphere in the room froze, as did Lissa, Christian and I.

 **[….]**

 **A/N: AHH! Randall's the boss and Tasha is working with him to get to Dimitri? I was a bit surprised when I saw that some of you thought Victor was behind it, some even suspected Robert! I was toying with the idea of having Victor behind it all, but decided to get more personal and go with Randall.**

 **How was that? Will Dimitri follow through with Randall's instructions? Will Rose be okay? And how do you think Dimitri, Lissa and Christian will react to Tasha being Strigoi, and learning she turned by choice? And how will our favorite Fire-Using Moroi react to learning that both his aunt and grandfather are now Strigoi? And next chapter, we are going to see some old characters brought back, have any idea who? (;**

 **Keep reading to find out!**

 **Xoxo,**

 **||RozaBelikov1996||**


	12. Chapter 12: Everything's Just Peachy

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own the world of VA or any of the recognizable characters. I just own THIS Fanfic's plot. All other credit goes to the lovely Richelle Mead**

 **Chapter 12: Everything's Just Peachy**

 **~X~**

 **DPOV**

 **THE ROOM** and air around us seemed to still, and it seemed as if no one was breathing through the complete shock and disbelief of what Adrian had just told us. No one wanted to believe it, I certainly knew I didn't. It seemed like a lie, a big lie to distract us from the job we were doing, or supposed to do. Eddie and Adrian, who hadn't really known Tasha, just kept still. Adrian's face actually showed sympathy while Eddie's at first was confused, he grasped the information that Tasha had been Christian's aunt, and basically the only family he really had, and he looked down respectfully.

As for me? I simply couldn't believe it. I didn't want to. How could I? Tasha was an old friend of mine, and I saw her as family. It seemed impossible to me, and I hoped that it wasn't true, but Adrian had said that Rose told him. Rose wouldn't lie about something like that, and I trusted her more than anyone else, but this seemed too unbelievable.

I knew whatever I was feeling, Christian was ten times worse. When his parents had turned, Christian had been very young. From what I knew and Tasha had told me, Lucas and Moira Ozera, Christian's parents, had turned themselves willingly - something considered truly evil. The greatest of all sins - and had wanted to turn Christian. Tasha had protected him and fought the Strigoi off, stalling them so the guardians could come and stake the two. That was how Tasha had gotten that scar on her cheek. It seemed completely hysterical to think she was Strigoi as well. Of course, there was always the chance she had been turned forcibly and against her will. I hoped that was the case, if the news was true.

The first to speak was Christian, through his stunned exterior and pale blue eyes filled with disbelief and shock, his speech was hardly above a whisper, but we heard it through the suffocating silence. "No. No. No, that's not true."

Adrian looked guilty, as if he felt like it was his fault. His feelings were ridiculously placed, and yet, understandable in a way, though they were most definitely not justified or right. It wasn't his fault; not in the slightest. He just delivered the news Rose had revealed to him. "It is." Adrian insisted weakly.

Christian took a step back and shook his head, not wanting to receive the news. My heart ached for him, and by the look on Lissa's, Adrian's and Eddie's face, theirs did too. Anyone who knew Christian knew that he loved Tasha very, very much, and Tasha had loved him. That made it all the more unfathomable that Tasha was Strigoi, at least by choice. But by the crushed look on Christian's face, he didn't want to believe she was a Strigoi, at all.

"No. No. You're.. You're lying. Aunt Tasha wouldn't..." Christian continued and Lissa took a few calming steps towards her boyfriend, trying to calm him. "Christian... Rose wouldn't lie about this.." she whispered soothingly, yet she didn't exactly look like she wanted to believe it either. Nobody did, but we all trusted what Rose said and claimed, especially something as grave as this.

Christian backed up to the wall, and I saw tears prickling in those pale blue eyes that reminded me painfully of my fallen friend. Lissa continued to slowly approach him and when she placed a calming hand on his shoulder, he flinched. "No. You.. That's not possible. It's.. It's a lie. No. No." he continued to deny it and I could see that Lissa was trying to stay strong for him, but seeing Christian like this was something none of us were used to. While I wouldn't really consider him a close friend or anything, with my friendship to Tasha, I had known Christian since he was very young. Now, as a teenager, he was often haunted by what happened to his parents and how others treated him and the rest of the Ozera clan, and while Christian had developed a snarky and sarcastic, devil-may-care attitude, which was much like Rose's, but that mask had been completely dropped. He seemed crushed and vulnerable. Tasha was the only family he had left, that he actually talked to, and while I was definitely sure Lissa and all of us would be there for him, this news would surely take its toll on him.

"That's not all," Adrian continued and we all looked back at him, dreading the news to come. How could this get any worse? The love of my life had been kidnapped by Strigoi, who I now realized was my 'father', who had turned Strigoi, and I wasn't sure what he was doing to her, Tasha was also Strigoi and, if Adrian was right, one of Rose's captors, and I was awaiting instructions from Randall, regarding a 'meeting' where I hoped to retrieve Rose.

"What..?" Lissa said softly and Adrian looked up at her. "Rose said that Tasha told her she turned Strigoi, willingly, after she had learned her dad, Christian's grandfather, was also Strigoi. They're working for Randall."

Tasha. Turned willingly. That seemed too preposterous. Tasha wouldn't. She was one of the few Moroi who believed in using magic defensively _against_ the Strigoi! Why would she turn Strigoi willingly, and add to the Ozera's already stained reputation?

It was clear the reputation didn't matter to Christian, though, and he completely spaced out. I felt for him, though. Christian had lost his parents, and if rumors were right, he had witnessed them getting staked, he had had to endure the bullying and how his classmates and the other Moroi and some dhampirs treated him and his other distant family members. Now he had just found out that his aunt who he loved very much was now Strigoi, and Adrian was saying she turned willingly. By choice. And because Christian's grandfather was also Strigoi. I knew that wouldn't be easy on the young Moroi, but he was a strong young man; I truly believed he would get through this.

But right now, he was still in a state of shock, incredulity, and grief over his aunt.

At Adrian's new revelation, Christian's expression morphed from its previous shocked, crushed look, to now a completely outraged one. "No! Aunt Tasha would never..! You're lying." Christian growled accusingly. He was angry. Offended. No sign of a heartbroken nephew anywhere.

"I'm not! Rose told me this, I'm just delivering her word! She isn't lying, either!" Adrian said and Christian took a few, menacing steps towards the older Moroi. Eddie and I reacted immediately and went to his both his sides in case he lost it and got physical. Christian turned his blazing eyes on me, "you can't possibly believe that Aunt Tasha would turn Strigoi on purpose, can you?! You were friends! You can't believe this drunken, lying jackass!" Christian shouted, almost indignant. I felt torn. I glanced at Adrian, who had his hands up defensively and back at Christian, who scanned my expression desperately. He knew I trusted and cared about his aunt, and if I didn't believe it, then it wasn't possible. That was the thing though. I didn't know what to say. However, I trusted my Roza's words implicitly, and I knew that she wouldn't claim something like this if she didn't have hard proof, but Adrian.. Well, I didn't know if I could trust him.

"I.." I began, racking my brain for the right words. "I believe that Rose wouldn't lie about this. Adrian wouldn't either, probably. Maybe..." my words failed me and when Christian realized what I was going to say, he exploded. "NO!" he yelled and Lissa flinched and I tried to hide my wince at his strong, very loud tone of voice. "Christian..." Lissa whispered, trying to soothe him by running her hand up and down his arm in a repeated motion. "Calm down.. We're still trying to get to Rose here and you need to stay calm." she murmured and Christian shrugged her arm off, looking furious. He muttered something under his breath that sounded really uncomplimentary, then stormed to the door, swinging it open with a force that I'd never seen come out of a Moroi. Within seconds, he was out of our sight.

"Christian!" Lissa called and tried to go after him, but Eddie reached out and grasped her arm. "Lissa, you should give him time.. He needs to cool down." He suggested, sympathy burning in his eyes. Lissa looked at him and nodded numbly, "o-okay.." she whispered brokenly.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed on the counter I set it on and I froze for a second. Randall. He said he would send me instructions, and since I would not risk Rose's life, I would have to oblige. I slowly walked over to where my phone was and I picked it up and read the screen.

 **New Message: Roza**

Yeah, he was using Roza's phone, and it felt like a huge, sharp slap in the face. It wasn't really her, but seeing her Russian name pierced my heart because she wasn't here with me right now. Instead, she was in the hands of a monster - or to make matters worse, monsters.

With a gulp, I clicked on the notification and it opened messaging, so I read the new message from Randall.

Tomorrow. 10 P.M, The Relestade Barber shop on 12th and Frendway. Don't bring anyone, or don't be late. Or else the girl dies. I hope to see you soon, Dimka. It's been so long.

I felt sick to my stomach, and I cursed in Russian under my breath. _"der'mo!"_

"What? Who was that?" Lissa asked hesitantly, though by the edge in her voice, she really wanted to know. I turned my head to look at them and I sighed before handing the phone to the only other guardian in here, and one I deemed definitely trustworthy and dutiful: Eddie. He took the phone with little hesitance, and when he read over the message, his lips pursed slightly. "Who exactly sent this?" he asked and I bit my cheek.

"Randall - My biological Moroi - well, now Strigoi father." I said the word 'father' with a bitterness and resentment that sent the message across that he was a sore subject for me, but unfortunately, he was one I couldn't avoid since I would have to meet up with him. Eddie frowned slightly, but recognition and understanding flooded his eyes. "Oh! And.. He's got Rose?"

I hid a scowl, "yes."

"Um, I have a small confession to make.." Lissa said abruptly and I frowned. What could possibly be revealed now? After everything, it seemed like my ability to be surprised or shocked just went out the window, so I just nodded at her and we listened. "I.. I realized we would need help so I called some people who should arrive any moment now.." She began and I arched an eyebrow, "who, Princess?" I encouraged.

Lissa bit her lip, a little nervous and I began to grow cautious. "They just texted me that they arrived here at Court and.."

"Well, who are 'they'?" pressed Adrian and before Lissa could reply, there was a loud pounding at the door. Eddie and I reacted immediately, attentive and alert. "That should be them.." Lissa informed and walked to the door. We all watched in curiosity as to who would be behind it, and whoever it was definitely had little patience, yet who could in a situation like this.

I considered myself an attentive person, and with years and years of guardian training and 'outside' experience, I aimed to be ready for any threat or news.

What I was not ready for, though, was Abe Mazur bursting in the room with a mixed look of rage and distress on his face. Three people were behind him, two male dhampirs who I didn't recognize, but the dhampir woman at his side with an equal look of pain mixed with an inconceivable amount of fierce determination, I did know. She was one of the most respected and feared dhampir guardians out there: The formidable Guardian Janine Hathaway, mother of my poor Roza, whose name and even last name made my heart clench. Abe Mazur stood there, and until recently I learned that he was actually Rose's father. Both seriously dangerous and unpredictable parents were standing right in front of me, and it made a lump in my throat form. I had never seen such a look of concern and distress on the face of usually well-collected Janine Hathaway, or Abe Mazur.

There was a dhampir on Abe's other side, as well as another one behind him, but I could only clearly see the one on his left. He too looked extremely heartbroken and concerned - I didn't know him, but I had the slightest hint that he knew Rose. The dhampir who I believed was one of Abe's many guardians was pretty tall, but not as tall as myself. He stood several inches shorter than me at about maybe five-ten or five-eleven, and he had dark hair, with a pair of deep blue eyes that shone with intense worry.

And seemingly all three at the same time said, "where is Rose?!"

I wished I could answer them.

 **[….]**

 **RPOV**

 **AND THROUGH** it all, everything just hurt. My legs, hips, torso, chest, hands, arms, shoulders, neck, face and head. My body was in an overwhelming state of sore pain. Ever since the last dream visit I got from Adrian, where I revealed to him that Tasha was a Strigoi, as was Dimitri's father, Randall and Christian's grandfather, Darius, they had begun the torture part of being captured. They didn't actually torture me, but Tasha insisted on having the servants 'show me respect' and try to beat some answers out of me, or just for the sake of causing me harm. My lack of nourishment also made things harder to endure. I hadn't eaten or dranken anything since I had been captured, and it was really starting to take its toll on me. I felt weak, due to my lack of food, and no water meant my throat was as dry as a hot desert. The bruises and cuts on my body didn't help matters, but I wouldn't give up. How could I? I had been in situations like these before, and I had escaped. I just had to find a way here. Hopefully I would soon, though, because at this point, I was really hungry - to the point where I would kill for a bacon cheeseburger and some french fries. And an X-Large Coca-Cola.

I honestly forgot how long I'd been here, and I hadn't slept much either. Only about 10 minutes and when I did, Adrian dream-walked me. Now, though, Randall visited me more often and he would be his annoying self and talk about how he became Strigoi and that I was going to die or whatever. Usually when he came into the room, I tried not to listen to him very much, and it became easier to do that when the pain I felt in my body was quite the distraction.

I would try to slip into Lissa's head, but it was like there was something in between us, like a block. Something holding me off and keeping me from going into her head. It was really frustrating because I was dying to know what was happening back at Court, and if they were planning anything. A part of me wanted them to plan a rescue mission, and another part of me didn't because I didn't want anyone risking their lives just to help me. I didn't want that. Unfortunately, with the friends I had and the suspicious block in our bond, I was led to believe that they were in fact planning something.

There was a pretty loud and almost sharp knock at the door that lulled me out of my small daze. One of the guards who stayed in this room to make sure I didn't try to escape walked to the door and unlocked it before opening it, revealing Randall.

Aleksei and Lemuel, the Human guards that went to open the door, instantly bowed their heads as if God Himself had walked through the door. I tried my best to keep my head up, pushing as much of my bold confidence into my look as possible, but that isn't so easy when you're trying to avoid compulsion and your face has been hit to the point of most likely being covered with bruises. Ignoring a sharp pain I got from the back of my neck when I lifted my head, I saw Randall close the door behind him. "Rosemarie. How are you? Still alive and well? Not for long." He added darkly and I tried my best to smirk, but it probably came out looking like a grimace. "Yep. Everything's just peachy." I rasped, hating how hoarse and broken my voice sounded, but I hadn't dranken water or anything and my throat was burning and begging to have its thirst quenched.

"Hmm, you surely don't sound like it." Randall taunted and I looked down, my fatigue getting the best of me. "My, you're not holding on well, are you, Rosemarie? So weak. You'll be less of a threat if you try to escape. Of course, we'll have to deal with Dimitri again, tomorrow. Maybe he'll take pity on you and finish you off when I awaken him."

My blood ran cold and my head shot up and I ignored the painful sensation I got in my neck. "What? Tomorrow? What do you mean, 'deal with him tomorrow'? He's not comi-" The world slowed as the realization dawned upon me. Randall contacted Dimitri. Most likely using my phone. He probably wants Dimitri to meet him somewhere, and Dimitri being Dimitri is going to go. I shook my head slowly, not even wincing as I moved the sorest part of my body. Randall was planning to awaken him again? No, that couldn't happen. I didn't doubt Dimitri was strong and the badass battle god everyone formerly knew him as, but Dimitri had been taken down once. What if..

Maybe Randall was lying, trying to get to me. I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case, but if he wasn't, that meant Dimitri could be in danger. Randall didn't exactly like to 'play by the rules' and I was sure Dimitri knew that, but as a Strigoi, he was more daring. More evil. Dimitri wasn't stupid, and I was sure that if this was true, he would bring some backup and not meet up with Randall alone, but that put more lives in danger. Because of me. I couldn't have that. I wouldn't allow it.

Not wanting Randall to see my panic, I shrugged casually. "Good luck with that." I said, or at least tried to. My voice really wasn't getting any better.

Randall continued to talk for some time after that, and I mostly zoned out, getting lost in my own thoughts. I really hoped Randall was just kidding because I couldn't stand the thought of them being in danger and me not being able to help, and it was even worse that I was the cause. When Randall left, I tried my best to access Lissa's head. I had to see what was going on.

"C'mon, c'mon... Lissa-vision." I muttered to myself as I focused on the bond, only for Aleksei to backhand the side of my head and tell me to shut up. I took the hit with a grunt as his hand connected with an already sensitive part of my head. I was sure I wasn't in good shape, and I had never felt this.. Helpless before. It infuriated and irritated me shitless because I was used to always being able to conquer my obstacles. This time was different. I was weakened both mentally and physically. The bond was harder to reach, as if there was a barrier between Lissa and I.

And for another time, I let the fatigue win over, knowing that I would need as much rest as possible for whatever was to come.

 **[….]**

 **How was it? Good? Bad? What do you think will happen in the next chapter? And Abe is finally back with Ethan and Janine? Will some tension grow between Ethan and Dimitri?**

 **Thanks for being patient with me and I love you all! Please review!**

 **Xoxo,**

 **||RozaBelikov1996||**

 **TRANSLATION:**

"der'mo" – Russian for 'shit'

(At least that's what Google said!)


	13. Chapter 13: A Good Samaritan

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own the world of VA or any of the recognizable characters. I just own THIS fanfic's plot. All other credit goes to the lovely Richelle Mead**

 **Chapter 13: A Good Samaritan**

 **~X~**

 **[….]**

 **RPOV**

 **WAKING UP** with headaches was starting to become a routine. I was constantly trying to ignore the aches my body suffered, and I had forgotten how long I'd actually been here. It felt like months, but in reality, it might've been like, four days. I had been cramped up in this room for about four days, sitting on a wooden chair, with my hands bound to the wall with cold chains. I stayed in this room with Aleksei and Lemuel, two Human guards that worked for Randall Ivashkov, who just happened to be Dimitri's now-Strigoi father, that kidnapped me to get to him. I also met Darius Ozera, Christian's Strigoi turned grandfather, and found out that Christian's aunt and Dimitri's longtime friend who I knew beforehand was also Strigoi, and working for Randall. Natasha Ozera. I had delivered the news to Adrian in a spirit dream, and I was sure he gave the news to our friends back at Court. I wondered how Christian was doing, not so good, I presumed, and I actually felt really bad for him. But I knew he would get over it; he was strong. (Though I wouldn't actually voice that to him.)

Another thing was that Randall had gotten hold of my phone and most likely contacted Dimitri, and if this part was like other movies and clichés, told Dimitri to meet Randall somewhere and sometime; like a ransom, in a way. I was just the bait. The bait that they felt they could still beat answers out of.

Damn, this had been one hell of a week.

So here I was, the badass Guardian Rosemarie Hathaway, chained up to a wall, beaten and bruised practically everywhere, but my face and head had taken the most damage. I was hungry and most likely dehydrated and weak to a point where it was a challenge to keep my eyes open. Damn. What had happened to me? This was not Rose Hathaway, who was strong and always found a way out of every situation. This was someone weak and fragile, who gave up so easily. I was actually disgusted with myself, and I hated the feeling of helplessness.

I had been in a situation similar to this one, about two years ago? Some friends and I had gotten kidnapped by Strigoi in Spokane, and we were there for some time. We ended up escaping when Christian pretended he was going to drink from me and kill me to become Strigoi, something our captor Isaiah wanted one of the Moroi (Christian and Mia) to do. So while he pretended to drink from me, he used his fire magic to melt my cuffs off. It hurt like a bitch, but it got me free. I attacked our guards and we set the others free. Though, not all of us escaped. My friend, Mason who had a crush on me had come back when I provided a distraction for the others to leave. He let his feelings for me get in the way and he tried to save me. Isaiah killed him and in my state of grief, shock, rage and protectiveness over Mason, I beheaded the two Strigoi with a dull sword, but it took me a while longer to forgive myself for Mason's death.

Although now, I didn't have any magical powers to help nor the strength to fight my way out. And let's face it, I wasn't getting out of these binds without someone actually releasing me.

So here I sat, trying to think of ways to escape this hell hole. To make matters worse, my bond with Lissa had a void. Like if she had put up a wall between us so I couldn't get into her head and see what was going on. I could barely get my own head straight and it was like every thought was straining me. I had to escape, though. I wouldn't go down without a fight. But I was still human (well, more or less), and while I had a bigger endurance and resistance to pain and fatigue than Humans did, that endurance was almost at the floor. I guess that the only thing I could really do was sleep, and that would get some of my energy back because food and drinks weren't here to do it.

Just as I was about to fall asleep to try and get over my headache, Aleksei stood up. My eyes followed him as he walked to the door and unlocked it with his keys. "I'm going to get food. It's passed meal time." He said in a gruff voice. Lemuel, the other guard and one that I could stand more than Aleksei, just nodded and stood up as well. The door opened just the right amount for Aleksei to slip through, and it closed behind him.

Silence filled the room and the only thing I could hear was my shallow, chopped breathing.

But Lemuel actually broke it.

"I'm sorry you have to go through this." He said, seeming truly apologetic. I was shocked. Never had I heard one of these Humans show sympathy for the captured. Never. They were just willing to do anything to please the Strigoi they worked for, just to receive immortality. And most of the time, the Strigoi just killed them off. Lemuel was actually showing Human feelings of sympathy and compassion, towards another life.

"W...w...why ar..are you ap..apolo..gizing?" I managed to rasp out through my burning throat and broken, chapped and dry lips. Lemuel got the message, and looked down, seeming ashamed. "Because.. I'm horrible. You're still alive and you have needs, you most likely have a life, a family, out of here and here you are. I don't want to hurt people, but.." He trailed off and his shoulders slumped. I felt a pang of sympathy for Lemuel, as well, oddly enough. I mean, I was the one trapped in here without the bare necessities of life excluding oxygen, but he seemed genuinely ashamed of himself.

While Aleksei had always done what the Strigoi told him to, without question, whether it involved hurting others or me, and with pride, I had always seen a hint of hesitance in Lemuel's eyes when he had to hit me or anything of the sort. He actually felt for me, and while I never liked or wanted people to pity me, Lemuel legitimately felt bad for his actions.

"Y...you... Ca...can't trust the S..S..Strigoi. E-evil... Merci..less.. they.. Won't- g..give you... Im...Immortality." I croaked and Lemuel's head snapped up to me, while I tried my best to look him in the eye. "What do you mean?" He probed, cautious and alert.

"They... Th..they wi..ll kill.. Y..you." That was it. Lemuel stood up and he had an unreadable look on his face. I began coughing dryly and it hurt my throat. A lot. The sound was horrible and cringe-worthy, but I had to warn him. I couldn't get any more coherent words out without wheezing or coughing, but I had got my warning across.

Lemuel looked at war with himself, before going to the corner and while his back covered what he was doing from my sight, I heard the sound of a liquid pouring. He turned around, holding one of those pitcher-like beaker/cup with a handle and a lip which liquid would be poured through. He walked over to me and I tensed, ignoring the sore I got from my body because of this action. What was that? Poison? Unclean water? Poison?

His hand went to the back of my head, holding it up gently while he brought the lip of the beaker thing to my mouth. I kept it shut, and tried to smell the liquid, trying to pick up any unusual or suspicious scents, but I got nothing. It smelled like nothing.

"Shh, calm down.. It's water." He assured, his voice gentle and the name made my heart jump and my throat welcome it beseechingly. While my body and was screaming at me to open my mouth and take it, I couldn't help but question him. Could I trust his word?

"The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them." my mind returned, but in cases like these... Well that may not always apply.

Finally giving in and listening to my body's needs, I opened my mouth and he gently and cautiously tipped the beaker over and I felt the long-awaited clean, clear liquid pour into my mouth. At first, my throat burned a little at the contact and I winced at the slightest, but then I could feel the water begin to clear out my throat as I drank eagerly, much like a newborn child getting it's first drink of life from it's mother's breast. Ew. Okay, that wasn't the best comparison.

Regardless, I chugged down everything in the beaker and when I was done, Lemuel pulled the beaker away and I gasped, feeling my thirst quenched. I moistened my lips and looked up at Lemuel with some of the water dripping down my chin.

"Thank you," I said graciously, my voice clearer now. He nodded at me with the smallest ghost of a smile ever. I rested my head against the wall, inhaling deeply. When I got out of here, I would definitely offer Lemuel help, because of what he did for me today, risking getting caught by Aleksei or even worse, Randall, or any of the other Strigoi here. I knew that the Strigoi were evil and very much malicious, and ruthless that one of them actually would've killed Lemuel, and I was sure he too was very well aware of this. Basically, he risked his life to help me. It was then that I vowed I would repay him.

Suddenly, the door burst open, and I was surprised it didn't break down. It did, however, swing to the other side of the wall with a vengeance. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lemuel turn around quickly, fear written on his face. Randall stood at the doorway, with Tasha and Darius behind him. I felt my breathing stop and my heart begin to hammer. Never had they all been here at the same time, so why now? What were they going to do? And with the force that Randall opened the door, something was definitely wrong.

"Roza.." He drawled and I felt a shudder go through my body, one that shook me to my core. The cold, evil, twisted note in his voice was definitely cringe-worthy. "Time to go." Randall added and I frowned.

"Wha-" I barely had time to utter the word before I saw Tasha charge toward me.

 **[….]**

 **DPOV**

 **WE NEEDED** a plan.

And we needed one fast.

After Lissa had heavy heartedly filled Abe, Janine and the other two Mazur Guardians on what happened with Rose, Janine had stormed out of the room and Abe was fast on the phone, calling people after he said a very loud and angry cuss word that made Lissa flinch. Eddie just stood there, unsure what to do and Adrian did the same. The Mazur guards seemed to be doing very different things. The first one stood by the door at attention, tall and intimidating, as you would expect a Guardian to be, especially a Mazur guardian. The other guardian, though, stood about a foot away from Zmey, shooting angry glares at me while I tried to avoid him. Having someone you didn't know at all shoot death glares at you repeatedly wasn't exactly comfortable, so I tried to focus on Abe, as he spoke furiously and rapidly in Turkish into his phone, his face was murderous and Adrian's face went pale, while Eddie just stood there, uncertain.

When Abe was off the phone, he shoved it in his pocket and slammed his fist on the desk counter, then cursed loudly in Turkish once more. The Guardian standing at the wall took a few cautious steps towards him, "Mr. Mazur, maybe it's best if you calm do-"

Abe's head whipped to the Guardian and while his back was facing me, I knew his face must've been pretty scary, because the Guardian's face paled slightly. "Don't tell me to calm down." Abe snarled and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Adrian's eyes widen with fear. Abe turned around and his eyes met mine, his eyes furious beyond what the mind could comprehend.

"You." Zmey growled lowly at me and I frowned slightly before Abe continued. "My daughter has been missing for four days, and you haven't done anything?!" Zmey bellowed and Lissa flinched while Adrian's jaw dropped. "Daughter? Rose is your daughter?" He asked I sent him a nod, silently telling him to keep quiet.

Turning my head back to Abe, I tried to keep my voice calm and quiet as I said, "Mr. Mazur, we've been trying to find a way to get her back safe, and recently, we found out who has her."

"And who is that?" Questioned the Guardian who kept sending glares in my direction. I looked at him, "my.. Father. Who turned Strigoi. His name is Randall." I told them, trying to leave the contempt out of my voice. Abe scowled, "Randall.. And why does he want Rose?"

"He send me a text message, using Rose's phone. He wants to meet up with me. Alone. Or he will..." My words failed me and Abe took a step towards me. "He will what, Belikov?" Abe pressed and I exhaled, hating my next words. "He would kill her."

A look of horror contorted the Mazur guardian who didn't seem to like me much, and with Abe.. If looks could kill..

"I have men coming. We have to get her out of there!" Abe shouted and Lissa backed up a little bit, closer to Eddie, who just watched the whole thing with attentiveness and silence. "Randall wanted me to go alone, but we do need a plan." I said and the guardian who had sent me death glares earlier scoffed bitterly. I looked at him, confused.

"Like you would care what happens to her." He commented, and a outraged sparked in my stomach. What the hell? Who did this guy think he was? He didn't even know me, yet it seemed like he hated me with a passion. Of course I cared about what happened to Rose! I loved her and I was worried sick about her, but regardless, I kept my emotions under control because there was no reason to escalate the problem. I simply answered with a bit of indigence, other than that, I was the picture of calmness. At Least, on the outside.

"Excuse me?"

"Ethan, not now." Abe cut in, looking at the guardian - Ethan - warningly. _Yeah, feel free to stay quiet._

Ethan hid a scowl and turned his piercing blue eyes on me, while I paid no mind to him. "Mr. Mazur, Randall sent me a message earlier. He wants to meet me at the Relestade Barber Shop. I don't want anything to happen to Rose, but we need a plan. A carefully thought out plan." I said to him and Abe's lips pressed into a thin line.

"You're right there, Belikov. Show me the message. We'll think of something quick." Abe muttered darkly and I walked to the counter where my phone was to show him the text message Randall sent me through Rose's phone. When I opened it, I handed the phone to Abe and he held the phone screen up to his face, something sinister growing in his eyes as he read the message.

Abe handed me the phone and I heard him mutter, "think you can mess with my family, you son of a bitch?" Abe turned to the other guardian. "Fetch Janine for me. I have something in mind." He ordered quietly and the guardian nodded before walking out of the room.

Abe's eyes met Lissa and recognition sparked in his. "You're the Dragomir Princess. Vasilisa. Don't you share a bond with Rose? Can you reach her?" He asked and Lissa frowned, before solemnly shaking her head, looking defeated. "No. I mean, yes, I am Lissa Dragomir and I do share a bond with Rose, but it only works one way. I can't "check" up on her, or anything." Lissa explained and Abe frowned.

"But I can." Came the voice of Adrian. All eyes went to him, including mine. "You can?" Abe asked, a glint of hope in his voice. Adrian frowned, obviously rethinking his words. "Well, I don't share a bond with her.." Adrian began carefully. "But I've been able to stay in touch with her, but in her dreams only."

Abe narrowed his eyes in confusion, "in her dreams?" He reiterated and Adrian nodded his confirmation. "Yes. I'm a Spirit user, like... Princess Vasilisa, and one of my abilities is to visit people in their dreams, when they're sleeping: Dream-walking."

Abe processed this and I could practically see the wheels in his head turning. Abe was a clever, sly man and I knew he could come up with a plan, before I had to meet Randall. "Okay..." He muttered and just then, the door opened, revealing Janine and the other Guardian. "Abe, the Queen isn't approving a search party because it's too dangerous." Janine announced, obviously upset at the Queen's decision. We all were, but that wasn't going to stop us from looking for Rose.

"I know, Janine. That's why we're going to plan a rescue mission of our own." Abe said and Lissa's eyes widened. "But Randall only wanted Dimitri to go, and he'll kill Rose if anyone else goes along." Lissa said, terror in her voice. She, like all of us, was terrified of something happening to Rose, but that's why plans were carefully thought out.

Janine's eyes scanned the room, and when they landed on me, it was like she was noticing and addressing me for the first time. "Belikov, do you know who has my daughter? Who is Randall?" Janine questioned, and I could tell her calm, collected and stoic Guardian Mask was slipping as the signs of worry outlined her face. She was legitimately worried for Rose, just like when the Spokane incident happened. I knew Rose thought that Janine didn't care for her, considering she left her at the academy at the age of four, but Janine did care for her daughter, no matter what happened in the past. Janine probably thought I was here because I had been Rose's mentor and I was just a worried teacher, trying to get his ex-student back safely.. I wondered how she would react when she found out I was here because, not only was I worried sick about Roza's safety and well being, I was in love with her, and I had been since our mentor-student days, no matter what I had claimed or made myself believe later on, yet something told me by the way that the Ethan boy and Abe looked at me, they _knew,_ and I wondered if Rose had told them anything.

"Um.. Randall Ivashkov has her, Guardian Hathaway. He's my.. He's my biological father." I explained, trying my best to keep the bitterness out of my voice. Randall was no such thing, but the title was more or less necessary. "And he is a Strigoi now. He has Rose because he wants to get to me." I added, my heart aching as I acknowledged that this whole thing was because of me.

Janine's face fell in shock for a moment, but then it went back to it's cold-stone seriousness and she said nothing. Ethan, I believed his name was, did intervene, and he practically said what was on my mind.

"So this is your fault. Rose getting kidnapped by Strigoi. It's because your... Father wants to reach you?" Ethan scowled and I felt my body tense, but Lissa was the one who replied to him. "It's not anyone here's fault. None of us made the Strigoi do it, so pointing fingers isn't going to help anything when we should be thinking of ways to help Rose." Lissa rebuked sternly, her more authoritive side coming out. She was right. Ethan realized this and nodded, but not before sending me another glare. When all this was figured out and Rose was back home, safe, I was going to confront him and find out what his problem with me was, but for right now, we had bigger things to worry about, like rescuing the love of my life.

From that moment, everything became dedicated to coming up with a plan to get Rose back, and it was a good one and it's ambitions were high. I had once been Strigoi, so I knew how they worked, how they could not be trusted. I also knew their weak spot in their senses, so we would use those as an advantage.

We had a plan.

 **[….]**

 **A/N: Hello! How was that? Sorry for the short chapter, but thanks for the reviews on the last chapter - you guys are amazing! I LOVE YOU!**

 **How was the chapter? And doesn't look like Ethan likes Dimitri much.. Will the plan work, or will it fail, miserably? And isn't Lemuel awesome? Will Rose be okay? Stay tuned to find out!**

 **Xoxo,**

 **||RozaBelikov1996||**


	14. Chapter 14: Revealed

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own the world of VA or any of the recognizable characters. I just own THIS fanfic's plot. All other credit goes to the lovely Richelle Mead**

 **Chapter 14: Revealed**

 **~X~**

 **RPOV**

 **WHEN I** awoke, I wasn't in the same room where I had been cooped up, and when I realized this, I kind of panicked. Looking around frantically, ignoring an ache I got in my neck, I saw that the room I was in this time wasn't as small as the previous one. I also realized that I was sitting on a chair, that was admittedly comfortable and it seemed to have a backside that could be adjusted and my wrists were tied to the arm rests, bound tightly so I couldn't move a limb of them. "Figures." I tried to mutter but the sound came out as muffled. That's when I realized that my mouth was taped, so I couldn't say anything coherent. Damn. And to make things worse, my feet were bound to the feet of the leather chair. Fun.

I was in a room with white painted walls and dim lighting, and there were posters on the wall, and a large mirror in front of me, that allowed me to see exactly how I was bound. There was a door that had a sign on top of it, with bold black letters that said:

"RELESTADE BARBER SHOP"

A barber shop. They brought me to a barber shop. It seemed like it hadn't been occupied in some time, as there was no equipment and the dust in the corners of the walls and the walls themselves wasn't much of a crowd pleaser. Looking at my reflection in the mirror, I gasped to the best of my ability. From what I could see, I had a black eye with cuts and bruises covering my visible body that weren't very attractive. My eyes were red and feverish. All in all, I looked horrible and beaten up, and it was going to take a while for all this to heal.

There was another wooden door, far to the side, and I wondered what it led to. This place also had a door that I guessed was a unisex bathroom due to the pictures on the label, and that led me to wonder where my captors were. Convenient. I was the only one in this room, and no human guards in sight.

Suddenly, I heard voices coming from the door that didn't have any labels on it. I couldn't make out what the voices were saying, but the familiar coldness in them led me to believe that they belonged to Strigoi. I tensed up before the door swung open, revealing Randall and Darius, discussing with cold, hard, irritated voices.

"- No, I told him to meet me here, or the girl die- Ah, Rosemarie. You're awake." Randall cut himself off, noticing me, but my mind was on his previous words before his change of topic. 'I told him to meet me here, or the girl dies.'

What did he mean by that? Who was he talking about? My mind spun as the two Strigoi walked towards me, slow and intimidating, but I did my best to keep my face brave, though with a black eye, cuts and bruises, that isn't so easy.

"I hope you're comfortable in that chair, but if you aren't.. Well, don't fret, Roza. You won't be there long." Randall gave an evil smile, which made me shudder. Darius stood behind him, his evil red eyes piercing me while I tried my best to ignore him and look down. I could see Randall crouch down and I shuffled back into the chair uncomfortably. "Look at me." Randall ordered, voice hard and demanding. I didn't comply, though and I kept looking down at my lap. "I said, look at me, you blood whore!" Randall snapped and in an instant, his hand went behind my head and pulled my hair back, forcing my head to do the same as my eyes met his. I shrieked at the sudden pain, but the sound was muffled. Forcing as much hatred in my face, I looked up at his chalky white face and blood red eyes that made my stomach churn. "You will obey me. I am done being nice with you. You will do exactly what I say... Or the consequences will not be pretty." Randall snarled and I scoffed inwardly. Nice? These past days, he was being nice? Hmm.

Randall paused and a sadistic smirk met his face, making me want to cringe. "Or.. Dimka will. It's really up to you, Roza."

His words made my blood run cold. Dimka? He was talking about Dimitri. He really did contact him, and that was probably who he was talking about earlier with Darius. Randall stood up and gave his back to me, turning to look at Darius. "Send Lemuel and Aleksei over to keep an eye on her. She's clever, and can't be left alone." He muttered to Darius and left the room, Darius following soon after.

My mind was still on Randall's earlier words, and I felt myself panicking on the inside. 'I told him to meet me here, or the girl dies.' Dimitri. He was talking about Dimitri. Randall really did contact him, and Dimitri was going to meet him here. And also, the other thing Randall said.. That Dimitri would suffer the consequences if I didn't listen.. It was times like these when I really needed the bond with Lissa. Dimitri was in danger, and whoever else he brought with him was too. Because of me. This was my biggest fear right now, and it was coming true. I couldn't have anyone risk their lives for me, especially Dimitri... I needed to warn them, but the only way to do that was... The dream walking. If I slept, I would have to pray and hope that Adrian visited me. Then, I could warn them and he could deliver the message.

Resting my head back, I closed my eyes. Come on.. Please Adrian... Dream walk me. Please... Fall asleep, Rose.. Go to sleep.. Do it for Dimitri's sake, and for those he might be bringing... Come on...

My mind blanked.

Everything was dark for a few moments. Why wasn't I dreaming?

The world around me swam with color and soon, everything fell into place. I found myself in Adrian's room. This was a spirit dream, because there was no way I would dream about being in Adrian's room.

I looked down at my clothing and saw that I was wearing a white bathrobe, and my feet were bare, while my hair was loose and damp as if I had just showered. My body was clear of any cuts and bruises, my skin was clear and just as it was before this entire ordeal. "Adrian?" I called out and suddenly, small particles seemed to join together and then, there stood Adrian. "Little dhampir." He smiled at me and in seconds, I was in his arms. "You actually visited me! Oh God, thank you. I.. I.. What's going on over there?" I asked when he set me down after our hug. "Of course I did, and Rose, we.. We're going to save you."

My eyes widened. "Randall said.. Adrian, you guys need to be careful. Don't let them risk their lives for me. It's too dangerous." I pleaded and Adrian frowned. "Rose, calm down. Dimitri, Lissa, Eddie and I have been trying to come up with a plan, and when your Dad and Mom came, your Dad helped us and-"

What? My mind spaced out when he mentioned Abe. And my mother. "Wait - what? What do you mean? My parents are over there?" I asked incredulously. Adrian frowned for a second when I interrupted him, but then his eyes lit up in understanding and his mouth formed an 'o'. "Oh, yeah. Turns out, Lissa called them to help us. There are two of your Dad's guardians here, too."

I blinked. "Who? What are their names?" I pressed, feeling a spark of hope in my chest. Adrian turned thoughtful. "Um.. Two males. One is named.. Pavel and the other.." He paused as he thought. Pavel I knew him. While I didn't really associate much with Pavel, I knew he was a great and dedicated Guardian, who was fiercely loyal to Abe, but my hopes were with another one of his guardians..

"Ah. Ethan. His name is Ethan." Adrian finished and I spaced out a bit. Ethan. Ethan was here. My friend who I hadn't seen in some time was over at Court.. Oh, how I wanted to see him, but right now, that wasn't possible.

"- And he doesn't seem to like Belikov much." Adrian said and I frowned, before it hit me. Ethan didn't like Dimitri, because of what I told him back in Turkey. Damn. Just as I had started to forgive Dimitri for the past, Ethan comes and I hope he wasn't holding the past over Dimitri's head. "Uh... Yeah..." I began uneasily. "About that.. Ethan doesn't like Dimitri, because of the stuff I told him back when I was in Turkey." I revealed, rubbing the back of my neck. Adrian sighed with amusement in his eyes. "Well, that explains a lot.." He muttered and I realized something else.

"Hey, Adrian, can you explain to me why I'm only wearing a bathrobe and my hair is damp as if I just got out of the shower?" I raised my eyebrows as I spoke and Adrian smirked. "Something my subconscious wanted to see you in. Just another one of those fantasies of mine when you just get out of the shower, and we-"

"Okay, stop! I don't want to hear about your fantasies of me. That might make me a bit more uneasy about going home." I grimaced and Adrian sobered up. "About that.. Don't worry, Little dhampir. We'll get you out of there." He promised sincerely and I frowned. "But Adrian, It's too dange-"

"Rose, everything you guardians do is dangerous." Adrian pointed out dryly and I shook my head, still in denial. "But this is-"

"Don't worry about us. Abe, Janine, Dimitri and Eddie came up with a pretty clever plan that I'm sure will work. Just have faith in your cradle-robber, scary-ass parents and Eddie." Adrian interrupted me and I rolled my eyes. "He's not a cradle-robber." I retorted, referring to Dimitri. Adrian smirked, "he is. And you didn't protest that he was yours. I'm jealous."

I ignored his comment and sighed. "Just tell them to be careful, please? While Randall isn't as smart as most Strigoi turn out to be, I'm sure he is ruthless and an evil monster, just as the other Strigoi here are.." I told him and Adrian nodded. "Everything will be okay, Little dhampir. Believe that." Adrian reassured and pulled me in for a hug. "I miss you guys so much." I murmured against his chest and Adrian sighed. "We miss you too, Little dhampir. But don't worry: we'll see each other soon. Everything will be okay."

Then, the world around us began to swim as everything began to darken. The room disintegrated into nothing and faded away; Adrian faded away and so did I, but his words remained in my head.

'Everything will be okay'.

I hoped so.

 **[….]**

 **WHEN I** woke up, I heard distant and faint voices, but as the world around me cleared up as I opened my eyes, so did my hearing, and the familiar voices. While the voices were familiar - they weren't the kind of familiar I wanted to hear. I also noticed the tape was gone from my mouth, as my breathing was ragged, but I did my best to stay quiet and listen.

"- But she's human, too! She has the same needs we do!" A male voice argued and I tried to stretch my arms out, but something was holding them down. I opened my eyes further and looked down at them. Right. They were bound to the arm rests on this chair.

"No, she's one of those unnatural dhamp things. She's not human, and she's Randall's prisoner, and we work for Randall. If you want to be a god like the other Strigoi here, you shouldn't be thinking like this." Another voice rebuked, and my eyes flew to where I heard them. Aleksei and Lemuel stood there, and they hadn't noticed me. Something told me, though, that by 'dhamp thing', Aleksei meant dhampirs, and since he added the 'Randall's prisoner', I came to the conclusion that they were talking about me. I stayed silent and listened.

"But at what cost? Aleksei, she still needs to eat and drink, and yesterday at Randall's house, she warned me." Lemuel returned in a hushed tone. Aleksei's eyes narrowed. "Warned you about what?" He probed with a hint of wariness and curiosity in his voice. "That the Strigoi won't turn us... They'll kill us instead." Lemuel muttered to him, and I barely managed to hear him. Aleksei backed up a little bit, his eyes wide and full of disbelief and outrage. Then they returned to their previous narrowed appearance. "That's crazy. She's crazy! Lemuel, you are letting a dhampir get to you! Randall told us how deceiving they can be! If he heard about this..." Aleksei trailed off and I disregarded the fact that he called me crazy.

"But what if it's true? We can be digging our own grave here!" Lemuel argued back, his voice a low hiss, careful not to have any of the other Strigoi hear if they were walking by. "Enough. We do what Master says, that's it. I don't know about you, but I want to live forever, being a God amongst humans. And I don't care what I have to do to get there." Aleksei announced and I felt my stomach twist in disgust with this guy. Wow.

Lemuel looked at Aleksei like if he was an alien - something completely strange and unknown to him. "Even hurting others? Innocent people?" Lemuel said softly, trying to reach out to the other man. Aleksei's face remained hard and stony, without sympathy or remorse. He shrugged, unconcerned. "It's like Master says: No one in this world is truly innocent. And besides, It's not like you've never done it as well."

I was thrown off guard for a moment. That sounded so much like what Dimitri would tell me when he was Strigoi: that no one in this world was innocent. Also something about the natural order and predators and prey. But at least Dimitri being Strigoi was an 'excuse'. Strigoi were cold, heartless and ruthless monsters. This guy was a human, with feelings, but he seemed just as bad as a Strigoi. He surely thought like one.

Lemuel stared at Aleksei, shocked at his statement and also like if he was looking at a stranger, trying to find something familiar but seeing nothing. I knew that feeling, and I knew it all too well. That's why I sympathized with Lemuel. "Who are you, Aleksei Meniskovich, and what have you become?" Lemuel began softly with a hint of despair and disappointment. "You were my best friend, the man with a pure heart and soul. The man who cared about everyone, and wanted to help people. Where did he go? Because this isn't him." Lemuel went on and I felt like I was intruding; like an outsider. This was a personal and deep conversation that I should not be listening to, but yet, it wasn't like I could get up and move.

Aleksei's face remained emotionless, but his eyes were shocked at Lemuel's whole-hearted sentiment. "I know that man is still in there. I know you can being him out again, because I believe in your goodness. You are like my brother.. Have some humanity. Look at where we are. This isn't right. I would like the immortality, but this isn't the way, and if it's the only way, I'd rather die knowing I helped someone, than live forever with none of those feelings at all." Lemuel finished and I couldn't help it: A small smile kissed my lips. My words had gotten to him. I just hoped that Lemuel's words got to Aleksei.

Aleksei's face fell for a moment, as he went into deep thought. He looked down and his face became pensive. Lemuel's face grew hopeful, but all that hope shattered when Aleksei looked up and at his next words.

"That man is gone. This one is better, and I'm about to make him what he was meant to be; what I was meant to be: A God. If you don't want that, so be it, but you will not mess this up for me." Aleksei spoke, and Lemuel looked heartbroken for his friend, and while I barely knew him, my heart burned with sympathy for Lemuel. That was when Aleksei turned around and walked to the door, opening it slightly, and slipping through, not once turning back.

The door shut and the sound echoed through the room. A deadly silence and tension filled the room as Lemuel stood there, shocked and staring at the door where Aleksei stormed out, not noticing that I was awake. I gulped, unsure of what to do.

"I'm sorry." I spoke softly and Lemuel spun around to face me, momentarily startled. "You.. You were awake this whole time?" He asked, perplexed and I grew a little sheepish and apologetic. "I... Yes.." I cleared my throat, "I am so sorry, though. I...I just w-woke up and you were t-talk-"

"It's okay," he assured and sighed, a sad look in his eyes. "I was hoping his answer would be different." He added, looking down. "Yeah," I said, sympathizing with him. "I know the feeling."

Lemuel looked up, a new determined gaze in his eyes. "But I'll be different. I will stop this, I'll help you."

Taken aback, my eyes widened. "What? What do you mean?" I asked and Lemuel's head turned in the direction of the door. My gaze followed his and a wave of nausea slammed into me, making my head fall back into the chair and my eyes to close while I practiced taking deep breaths, but I knew that it was my past due Strigoi alarm, which I hadn't felt in some time. Weird, considering I was kidnapped by Strigoi. Just then, the door opened and so did my eyes, and there stood Tasha.

Seeing her as a Strigoi was enough to make me sick to my stomach; and it had nothing to with the Strigoi nausea. I had known Tasha before hand, and while I didn't particularly like her because of an incident one Christmas, I always admittedly admired her. She was a strong and brave Moroi, who believed in Moroi taking a stand against the Strigoi, and using their magic defensively. She was also good at karate and pushed back at the belief that Moroi were weak and defenseless. She was the last person I'd expect to go Strigoi, and by choice. Especially with the already existing Strigoi taint in the Ozera clan. So seeing her as a Strigoi right in front of me, with the far-too-pale skin and sickening, evil red eyes was surreal and something I definitely did not enjoy.

"Rose, hmm. Look at you. Never did I believe I would live to see the day when Rose Hathaway, the strong, badass Guardian weak and pathetic." Tasha taunted in a mocking tone. I stayed quiet and out of the corner of my eye, I could see Lemuel's head bowed.

Tasha sneered sickly, the sight enough to increase my nausea. "Well, answer me. What do you think Dimka would say if he saw you?" My eyes met her face at the mention of Dimitri. Fake amusement and true irritation gleamed in her eyes and strikingly pale and flawless face. "Well, that got your attention now, did it?"

I remained silent, knowing it was best in these situations. I know, right? Me. Staying quiet. Through someone's taunting. Man, I really had changed. "How is it that a man like Dimitri chose you? A filthy, good-for-nothing blood whore. Did you seduce him? Have your crazy best friend compel him to sleep with you?" Tasha spat accusingly. I almost lost my temper when she called me a blood whore and Lissa crazy, also, accusing Lissa of compelling him to sleep with me wasn't very complementary either. Yet, I knew what she was doing. She was trying to get me to snap, so she could have Lemuel punish me for it. Sneaky bitch.

"He would've accepted my offer that Christmas if it weren't for you! But now... I have a better offer for him, and with you out of the way, Dimka will take it." Tasha finished and I couldn't help it. "What offer?" I asked and Tasha smirked, proud of herself. "He'll be a Strigoi again, and we can be together, forever. Gods among mere mortals. And when Randall finishes you off, I'll have Dimka."

And there it was. I felt my chest tighten, making it a little harder to breathe. Randall was planning to kill me off, and when I was dead, Tasha would make Dimitri a Strigoi. I felt the blood draining from my face and my heart nearly came to a stop. No. This wasn't happening. I had to warn them, and tell Adrian to just leave me. Randall was planning to finish me off; whether or not Dimitri came, and Dimitri would be turned Strigoi again. And who knows what would happen to those he brought with him? All because of me...

No!

Tasha obviously saw my reaction and facial expression, because with a victorious smirk, she used her Strigoi speed to rush out of the room. Damn you, bitch!

But my mind was now on what was to happen. I couldn't let it. I had to do something! This wasn't happening. This was a nightmare. My worst nightmare. Putting those I loved in danger. If a tragedy happened, it would be my fault.

I was in a state of panic right now. I had to figure out a way to help Dimitri and whoever was coming, and Dimitri. Did I already say his name? Well, too bad. I had to help Dimitri, especially since he was a specific target. I couldn't let Tasha turn him back into a monster, especially when he had already suffered being a Strigoi, and had lived in darkness after being restored. I could not let him return to that fate. I had to do something.

Looking at Lemuel, I saw my last hope. I was praying that he was serious about wanting to help me, because I was now in a life and death situation.

"Did you mean it when you said y-you'd help m-me?"

 **[….]**

 **A/N: Hello, again! How was this chapter?**

 **Well.. Get your seats, popcorn, tissues, eyes, voices and arses ready for the events to come! I won't give any actual spoilers as to what I have in store, but I will say that it's going to be intense, so considering the upcoming chapters will have multiple POVs (including Dimitri's) and they'll be pretty long, I am going to ask for your patience with Sarah and I. Please? And I'll reward you later on, but for these chapters, please spare your patience! In A Year is coming to an end soon, and the last chapters are always the nail-biters so to ensure we give you our best work, we will need some time. Thank you SO MUCH in advance! I love y'all so much!**

 **Well, how was that? And will Rose's attempt to save Dimitri and the gang work? Will Dimitri and the gang's plan work? How much will Lemuel actually help Rose, and will Lissa ever get to actually spend some uninterrupted time with Addy? Stay tuned to find out!**

 **Xoxo,**

 **||RozaBelikov1996||**


	15. Chapter 15: Force To Be Reckoned With

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own the world of VA or any of the recognizable characters. I just own THIS fanfic's plot. All other credit goes to the lovely Richelle Mead**

 **Chapter 15: Force To Be Reckoned With**

 **~X~**

 **RPOV**

 **BY THIS** time, things weren't looking so good. In fact, I was pretty sure I was going to die, but Rose Hathaway does not go down without a fight. I'll be damned before I just gave up and submitted into defeat.

The Strigoi enclosed me, causing me to back up against the wall. The numbers were overwhelming, and there was no space to make a run for it; though I doubted I would get very far until I got slammed into the wall. However, I knew that it was now or never. The probability of me surviving this was quite low - and while Math had never been my expertise; combat was. I was trained basically my entire life for this, and in a way, I was grateful I didn't have a Moroi with me to protect. It was just me. Me and these five evil red-eyed monsters. And without a silver stake or something to behead them with, all I had was my training. So no, this wasn't exactly the best situation to be in, and alone, but I had to try and save myself, right?

Some of the Strigoi were taunting me, trying to play mind games and get to me so I would just give up. Well, I was Rose fucking Hathaway; I don't just 'give up.' And if I died, I would die trying.

"Alright." I muttered, taking my battle position, "Let's dance." Just then, a male Strigoi lunged for me.

Yet, much to my absolute shock, before the Strigoi could actually make contact with me, a body slammed into that of the Strigoi's, and both fell to the ground and in seconds, my savior's stake was in the Strigoi's heart. I was momentarily stunned, trying to see who the person was, but I quickly snapped out of it and focused on the other Strigoi, who were angered by the sudden death of the first one. The person - man, I now realized - who had basically saved my life was no stranger. In fact, I was surprised I didn't recognize him the instant I saw his body collide with the Strigoi's. Yet, we had no time to actually address each other, and he handed me a silver stake, which I took in a small daze after seeing someone I hadn't in some time. I dragged my eyes away from his face just in time to react to the angry and bloodthirsty Strigoi that sprang towards us.

"Nice to see you too." I grunted before, as if by instinct, we went into a back-to-back position.

In case you are wondering what events led up to this exact moment, allow me to put your mind at ease. Here, it's simple:

 **[….]**

{Four hours earlier}

 **TURNS OUT,** there were no silver stakes or any Strigoi-threatening weapons here - but it seemed like the Strigoi were too preoccupied to visit me. Lemuel had told me that Randall was bringing in other Strigoi for whatever reason, and if I was correct, Randall had also contacted Dimitri and told him to meet him here, which left me a big ball of nerves and worry.

My feelings towards Dimitri had really been a main topic of confusion in my mind. I had come to accept the fact that I still cared for him, and I never really got over him - I just made myself believe I had. I definitely hadn't fully forgiven him yet, but I knew that if we made it out of here alive, with time, we could maybe become friends. Yet, right now, I didn't have time to worry about what would happen after this - I needed to worry and focus on now. I needed a plan, and fast. I needed to get myself out of here, and make sure when Dimitri came with whoever he brought, that we all made it out safe. It all seemed very easy and so complicated at the same time, which frustrated me further.

There were no silver stakes here, and we were in a barber shop, which I guessed wasn't all that large, but from the sign of 'ROOM 3' on the wall, I figured there were multiple rooms. Lemuel had managed to secretly provide me with some food and water, and he had treated some of my wounds. I had gotten enough sustenance to where I had gained some of my strength back, and I had spent enough time resting up. I was stronger, but the fact still remained that I was probably suffering from a concussion or something of the sort after all the hits I had taken to my head. I fought against it, though, as I would need to be strong for what was to come.

 _Okay, Rose.. Just think of a plan.. Master plans are your specialty, well just use them..._

From what I knew, there were three Strigoi currently here: Randall, Darius and Tasha. Since there were no silver stakes or wooden leg chairs, I had to improvise. In my regular condition, I believed I could take down three Strigoi, but right now, I had to use my weaknesses to my advantage. It was like I could hear Abe's voice advising me, 'Be clever, be diligent. Like a serpent..'

My heart ached a bit at the thought of Abe, my Moroi father who had always gone above and beyond to protect me. I wondered if he was okay... And Ethan, who was with him. Oh, what I'd give to see them.

 _You will,_ a voice reassured me, _but focus on escaping first._

Okay, so currently, there were three Strigoi. Out of the three, Randall was undeniably the strongest. He also seemed to be the one in charge. While Darius had been around a long time, he seemed like he wasn't as interested in building his own little empire as Randall was. No, Darius was more after just being free to roam the world and be the evil bloodsucker he was, until eventually I would kill the son of a bitch. I wondered what he was doing here, though, working under Randall. He certainly seemed more independent, and he already had immortality.. What was keeping him here? Maybe I could work into that and use that to my advantage. Now, the last was Tasha. She was a relatively new Strigoi, and she was still a bit uncoordinated. She wasn't as wise or powerful as Randall and Darius were, but her motives were a more perverted and twisted version of her goals when she was a Moroi. She wanted Dimitri - she wanted to turn him again and have him 'rule' beside her. Like hell I would let that happen.

Randall was also after Dimitri - he wanted to turn him again as well - but he also said they had some 'unfinished business' to attend to. Randall, though, was more cunning than Tasha. He had another motive for using me to bait Dimitri, and he hadn't revealed it, yet. That frustrated me, and I was more than upset that I was the reason Dimitri was coming, and putting himself in danger, along with anyone else who was coming. I was simply the bait - Randall and Tasha knew that we were in somewhat a relationship, and they knew how he felt about me, and he was a protective person who would do anything for those he loved. So, they kidnapped me and used me to lure Dimitri, without of course trying to pry some answers over the Moroi from me. Keyword: trying. When that proved unsuccessful, they just stuck to their original plan.

What I didn't understand was why Darius was helping them. He had never showed any interest in Dimitri, or in anyone else, really other than Christian and he had mentioned Lissa during our first encounter. However, when we got attacked by the Strigoi, one of the two who attacked us was a male, who when we fought, he saw Lissa. He recognized her as a Moroi, but left her alone, claiming he didn't receive instructions over her. It was strange he had just left her alone, though, because Strigoi were creatures of instinct and they were as selfish as they were cold and heartless. If Randall had left Lissa out of his instructions completely, which I had assumed he did, the male Strigoi wouldn't have cared to dispose of Lissa, and in fact, he probably would've wanted to, considering she was the last Dragomir and he could've just ended the line in one swift movement. He also hadn't killed Eddie - he backhanded him into a tree - a way of just getting rid of him for the time being.

They had killed Zara, though, but I believed that it was the female Strigoi, who had also died. So, if they knew about the shopping trip, and they knew when we'd be coming back at the time that we were, someone had to be giving them this information from the inside. Someone who knew about the trip and when we'd be coming back.

And I had no idea who.

I sighed, leaning back in the barber chair and I tried to think back. Maybe it was Tasha? She had been the one to send me the threat via rock in my window, but when I had spoken to her, she said she had been turned weeks ago. It didn't add up. I racked my brain, searching for anything that might pinpoint to the traitor who had helped the Strigoi, but my elaborate thinking was interrupted when the wooden door opened and I felt myself stiffen for a second. I relaxed when I saw that it was Lemuel, and he was holding a slice of bread on a small plate and a pitcher of water. He looked behind him, making sure no one was nearby and he slipped inside carefully, and the door shut behind him.

"Sorry, this was all I could salvage - Randall was there." He explained, holding up the bread and water. I smiled gratefully, "Thank you so much."

"No problem." He returned a kind smile and put the pitcher of water down on a counter before turning back to the door and locking it. I felt bad that this kind man was sacrificing his life just to help me. When I escaped, I would definitely see to it that he was rewarded. Lemuel placed the plate next to the water and he untied my hands from where they were bound. My left hand was still a bit sore, but it felt nice to stretch them out. Lemuel handed me the bread and I devoured it in seconds. He then gave me the pitcher of water and I drank it feverishly, much of it spilling down my chin and to my neck, where it was cold. I hadn't showered in days, and I was pretty sure I smelled terrible, but the feeling of the water dripping onto my chest was great. I felt a lot better once I had finished, and after I thanked him, he regretfully bound my hands again and he left, leaving me alone once again with my thoughts.

 **[….]**

 **DPOV**

 **TENSIONS WERE** running high as it was almost time to execute our plan. We were currently getting everything we needed ready, and no one said a word to each other. No words were needed, as we had reviewed the plan multiple times and everyone was preparing themselves, physically and mentally. The only thing I had on my mind, though, was Rose. I needed to rescue her, and if our plan worked, she would be back home where she belonged within four hours.

 _Not if,_ a voice in my head corrected, _when._

I tried my best to hold on to the faith that she would be okay, and we'd all make it out alive. As in 'we'd all', I meant Guardian Hathaway, Mazur, Mazur's guardians, Christian, Eddie and Lissa as well as myself. At first, the idea of bringing the Moroi was not in the equation, but Christian and Lissa were stubborn and were adamant on helping bring Rose home. I was a bit reluctant with Christian going, after what happened with Tasha, but he insisted on going and said it was for Rose and no matter what happened, he was going to help. This impressed me, and I gave in to him joining us. Besides, Christian was a fire user, which could prove useful since we were facing Strigoi.

I absolutely didn 't want Lissa to come, though. I had promised Rose I'd keep her safe, and I had also pledged my protection to her after she restored me. I was extremely grateful for that, and I didn't want Lissa to put herself in a situation where she was in danger. I had grown to see her as a little sister, and I knew that Rose would murder me if anything bad happened to her best friend, and I was already in a bad area with Roza. I didn't want to make it worse.

However, Lissa also was stubborn as hell and she insisted on coming. I was no match for the strong-willed Princess, and I agreed. Well, as for Abe, there was no contesting that he came. Rose was his daughter, after all, and I had a feeling that if I tried to stop him, he'd break my kneecaps. Mazur's guardians also insisted on coming, and the one who seemed most worried about Rose was a blue-eyed one whose name I believed was Ethan. He seemed like he didn't like me, at all, and I wondered why, but I didn't pay much mind to it. I didn't care if he liked me or not - I was worried about Rose.

He seemed to be immensely concerned as well. It wasn't until I saw how he reacted to the fact that she wasn't just surrounded by a Strigoi, but multiple, I had seen that he liked Rose. He was in love with her, and I honestly didn't blame him - Roza was fantastic and so, so painfully beautiful. Although, admittedly, the thought of her being with someone else unnerved me.

I forced my thoughts away and continued working on the punching bag in front of me. I pretended it was Randall, and that only made me punch and kick harder. My mind betrayed me and flashes of Randall hurting Rose came to me, and I saw red. I gave the punching bag my all, and I could tell it wasn't going to last long. I kept going in and I could hear Rose calling my name, begging me to help her.

That's when I lost it.

I lost track of my other thoughts and the world around me. All I could think about was how much I wanted to kill Randall. _How dare he?_ How dare he kidnap my Roza and lay a worthless finger of his on her? I swear, when I saw him, I would make sure he-

The punching bad exploded. The noise startled me and snapped me back into reality. The stuffing was everywhere and I noticed that my breathing was very heavy and I was drenched in sweat. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see others who had been training staring at me, stunned. I gruffly ran a hand over my sweaty hair and scowled at them, "What?"

They immediately looked away and continued training. I tried to calm myself down by thinking about Rose. She would be back soon, and safe. She would be right here where she belonged. With me. My heart felt heavy in my chest and I looked down. I missed her so much that it boggled me that it was possible to miss someone this much. I wanted her back, and not just here at Court, but in my arms. I wanted to love her and kiss her whenever I wanted without worrying what other people thought. I simply wanted her. I had wasted so much time when I had the chance to restore things between us, and I was now paying the price for it. I spent my days trying to get over her, and keeping her at arm's length, while deep down, I knew how much I was gone for her. I had wasted so much time avoiding her, and hurting her to the point of breaking her heart and now when she had been taken away from me, I realized it.

 _Idiot,_ I cursed myself and sighed, heavy-hearted.

I hadn't noticed the when someone came to clean the mess I had made, and the man eyed me warily before I backed up and let him do his job. He began sweeping the stuffing and leather from the punching bag up into a dustpan. I would've helped him, but I needed to get out of here and find everyone else so we could prepare for our mission. "Sorry," I muttered before I made my way to the gym exit, ignoring the stares of the others in the room.

 **[….]**

 **WHEN WE** left, the tension in the car was suffocating. Thanks to Adrian, and his connections, as well as a madness inducing amount of compulsion, we were able to leave Court. Lissa wanted to help him, but because she would've been too weak and tired when we got to the barber shop. I felt kind of bad with how we left Adrian, but he said that if it was for Rose, he would compel 1000 Moroi. I admired that, admittedly, and I agreed nonetheless.

I was the one driving and Janine sat in the passenger seat. While I could tell she was trying to keep her composure, her face showed the feelings she was keeping in. Mostly concern for her daughter and fury because of the Strigoi. When angry, and just all the time, Janine and Rose were very much alike - both forces to be reckoned with.

Abe, on the other hand, was much like Rose in the sense that keeping his feelings in place just didn't work for him. He was muttering harsh expletives and explaining in fine detail what he wanted to do with the Strigoi. Had I too not been wanting to keep myself calm and save my anger and fury for the Strigoi themselves, I would've been doing the same. His words made Lissa flinch excessively, and by seeing this, Eddie had a hint of smile on his face and teased Lissa a bit, telling her that if she was best friends with Rose, none of the language used by Abe should be new to her. Lissa just rolled her eyes, and Christian did not hesitate to agree. I too had to fight off a fond smile.

This dissipated some of the tension, and the fact that when Eddie had said that, Abe rebuked him, telling him to keep Rose's name out of his mouth. While Eddie was a trained guardian, it was humorous to see him pale immediately as he nodded and apologized profusely.

Before we knew it, we were about a quarter mile away, where we had parked. Then, the realization dawned upon everyone and we each got off, and we reviewed the plan, all through though, I had to fight off the urge to just storm in to that barber shop and murder just about every Strigoi in there and take my Roza back, but something told me that wasn't the most effective way to formalize the plan.

 _Hold on, Roza, I'm coming.._

 **[….]**

 **A/N: HEYOOO! Wow, it's all happening now! I was soo happy to see all your reviews and I can tell you that I am working my butt off to finish this story, and to get the chapters out, especially since the last chapter was the last one that my friend Sarah co-wrote, so it'll just be me. She did an amazing job with her work, however and I'm very grateful for that! How was it? Leave your feedback, please!**

 **Well thank you for reading!**

 **Xoxo,**

 **||RozaBelikov1996||**


	16. Chapter 16: Let's Dance

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own the world of VA or any of the recognizable characters. I just own THIS fanfic's plot. All other credit goes to the lovely Richelle Mead**

 **A/N: Apologies in advance! ;) Also, there are a lot of POVs in this chapter so to avoid any confusion, I'm just letting you know now! Dimitri** _ **may**_ **be a bit OOC in this chapter, so I'm sorry!**

 **Chapter 16: Let's Dance**

 **~X~**

 **DPOV**

 **AS SOON** as I entered, I felt a chill down my spine. The atmosphere was enough to make me want to grimace, but I refrained. I was, though, on guard and ready for any attack. I did have my stake, but I had it hidden away inside my duster and it was there if I needed it. Little did he know that I also had a small mic attached to my shirt, and the others were listening in to everything that was happening, waiting for their cue.

The room I was in was quite dim in light, but my Dhampir eyes were able to make out nothing but a wooden door at the other end of the room, and a large mirror on the side wall. Seeing as it was a former barber shop, it was fitting.

However, before I could think anything else, the wooden door swung open. Immediately, I readied myself for action, but the figure lifted both, his hands, I realized, up in a sign of self defense. The man was tall, but not as tall as me. An uncanny sense from the back of my mind told me who it was, and my heart stopped for a millisecond.

It was Randall.

"There, there Dimka," he fake soothed and I wanted to recoil, and rip his head off at the same time. He had always been a monster in my eyes, but now? He was a Strigoi - the true definition of the word. Flashes of the pain and torture he brought my family, my mother, blinded me and I was seething with rage. Suddenly, I was seeing images of him hurting Rose, and whatever bits of self control I had left snapped.

I charged him.

Or, I tried to. As soon as I took so much as a step toward him, two tall figures rushed for me and forced me back until I was calm. All the while, Randall just watched with mock amusement, but in the depths of those sickening red eyes, I could see a hint of fear. Good.

I then realized two things. One, the two 'figures' holding me back were Strigoi, though I didn't recognize them. Two, I had just made a grave mistake. I had nearly foiled our plan, and I couldn't afford to give Randall a reason to hurt Rose. I had to calm myself down before I ruined everything. Forcing myself to stop and keep my anger under control, I huffed and jerked my arms back from the Strigoi, which angered them.

"Stop. Zachary, Marco, leave him." Randall commanded and the two Strigoi reluctantly stepped back, shooting me daggers. If looks could kill..

If these Strigoi were obeying Randall, he must've had some large amount of power. The Strigoi worked in a natural system way - the strong overpowered the weak. That reminded me of words I had once told Rose as a Strigoi, and that caused me to grimace. Pushing those thoughts aside, I brought on my deadliest, most threatening voice. "Where is Rose?" I made sure to pronounce every word slowly and dangerously. Randall gave an evil smirk and a malicious glint flashed through his eyes.

"Now, now, all in due time. Roza's fate is in your hands," he taunted and I tried not to make a face as he called her by her Russian name. "If you follow my directions and we get through this without a problem, the girl lives."

I tried to keep my control. Calm down, Dimitri. Do this for Rose. "What instructions?" I questioned and his smirk widened, making me want to slap it off his face. "It's time I tell you exactly how I got here, Dimka." I cringed internally at his use of my Russian nickname. "It all started after I left Russia," he began, shooting me a dark look. I hid a smirk, as I knew he was talking about when I beat him up and threw him out of the house. Little did he know that I was going to do so much worse than that for kidnapping and hurting my Roza.

"I came to the States, here in Pennsylvania and moved into Royal Housing at Court. During my brief stay there, I became closer to my brother, Nathan. You may know him - I hear you're quite close with his son, my nephew by the way. Adrian Ivashkov?"

I felt the blood drain from my face. How had I overlooked it? Obviously, Randall was from the Ivashkov Royal Family, but it was a detail I hadn't known until recently. Adrian's father was Nathan Ivashkov, who was Randall's brother. In that sense, Adrian and I were cousins, even though I didn't consider Randall to be my father at all.

"I wouldn't say close," I said grimly and he smiled, seeming pleased. "Ah, well, after Nathan and I got into a dispute, he seemed to find a way to turn my own family against me." Randall continued, obviously growing upset. "I was caught off from the Ivashkov Family, and I hated being out of power," He scowled, "but in an encounter with an old friend who had been turned Strigoi, I made a deal with him and here I am now." His now prideful smile made me want to be sick, but I fought it off.

"I had heard not too long ago from one of my spies that you had been a Strigoi. Yet, here I see you and you're.. regular. Back to your former Dhampir state." He observed, "How is that possible? I was told it had something to do with the Dragomir Princess, and Rosemarie.. Now, I would've pressed her for an answer, but it wasn't my focus at the time."

"I'm going to make you an offer, Dimka," I felt myself cringe at his use of my Russian nickname, but he didn't notice and continued running his mouth. "One you cannot refuse. I want you to join me, Dimitri. Don't you miss it? The feeling of blood running down your throat and the limitless power?" Randall licked his lips. His description made memories come back to me - memories I preferred to keep stored away.

"If you became Strigoi again, we could team up. We'd be unstoppable, Dimka! Gods amongst these low, mere, worthless mortals! We could build our own empire! What do you say, son?" He beamed at me, and I had to fight back a snarky laugh. Was he serious? Did he honestly think I'd want to go back? It was my time as a Strigoi and what I had done to innocent people, to the love of my life, that haunted me to this day. And he thought I wanted to go back?

"First of all," I began, "I'm not your son. You are not my father. Not in any sense of the word." I spat out the words like they were acid in my mouth, putting an emphasis on each word. His lips pressed to a thin line. He had obviously not liked my answer. I could care less.

"Second, I would never go back to being a monster. Especially not to unite with you. You must truly be insane if you even think that'll happen," Randall was not pleased. I could see the malice returning to his features, bringing back the monster I knew all to well. I remembered my role in the plan - I had to buy time for Eddie and Janine to infiltrate the building and take out the other threats. Hurry up, both of you!

"Well," Randall grunted, a look of false pity and remorse tickled his sickening, chalky white face and red-rimmed eyes. "I tried to offer you the best in life, and you are too ignorant to accept it, which proves you aren't deserving of life itself."

I felt myself tense, and with one last look, he turned around to face the wooden door. "Kill him." Randall ordered the Strigoi and one of them smirked evily, "With pleasure."

I took my battle position and I reached in my duster for my stake, ready for battle. God dammit, where are they?

The two Strigoi eyed my stake, but in a flash, one lunged at me. I was able to dodge the lazy move easily and we begun a deadly dance. It didn't take long for the other Strigoi to join in, and within seconds, my stake was in the first Strigoi's heart and back in my hand as I didn't hesitate to take the other one on, as well. The Strigoi I had staked let out a howl of pain before crumpling to the ground, dead. From the corner of my eye, I saw that Randall hadn't left, and he had remained watching the fight.

This Strigoi was more experienced than the other one, whose moves were more lazy and uncoordinated. This one, however, as we fought, he managed to get a few good hits in. Based on his build and stature, I determined he had been a Dhampir before turning over, and he seemed to be quite the experienced fighter.

Yet, he wasn't good enough. While he had hit me pretty hard, I was able to dodge most of his punches and kicks, and our fight ended when I was able to catch him off guard when I tripped him and he fell backwards. Within seconds, I had him pinned and I drove my stake into his heart. He gasped out an expletive and I grunted before standing back up.

A slow clap filled the air and I looked back to Randall, seeing the claps were coming from him. A twisted kind of amusement shone on his face, and I gruffly ran a hand through my hair. I strode towards him, not stopping until I was no more than 2 feet away from him. Randall was tall as a Moroi, but I still towered over him. If I wasn't wrong, I believed I saw fear in his eyes. I made sure to put on my scariest, hardest face and most intimidating voice as I uttered my next words. "Where. Is. Rose?"

However, Randall put on a brave face and smirked, which really pushed my buttons. I wanted Rose, and if I had to kill the mother fucker and every single Strigoi that dared to stand in my way, then so be it. I was tired of being without her.

"All in good time, but I have one more surprise for you, Dimka." He said, a mischievous, mysterious glint in his eyes. "You can come out now!" He called out to the wooden door and in my moment of confusion and curiosity, I warily looked to the door, which opened slowly, creaking in the process. I stepped closer to the door, but I didn't let Randall out of my sight. I tensed up and gripped my stake harder.

However, no matter how much I thought I was prepared for what was to come, all of that crumbled when I saw who it was.

And none of the other times when Randall used my Russian nickname made me want to wince more than from when it was called out in a high, singsong voice that I would recognize anywhere, but at the same time, it was so alien and unfamiliar to me and it echoed in my mind.

"Dimka! I'm so glad you're here!"

It was Tasha.

 **[….]**

 **E(ddie)POV**

 **AS GUARDIAN** Hathaway and I listened in on the conversation Dimitri was having with the Strigoi, who I realized had been his father, we waited about 10 feet away from the building, and we were crouched down, listening for when we should strike. We had found three different entrances besides the main one. There was a window that seemed to be blocked out by black tape or something, but that was a last resort as smashing the window would make quite the amount of noise, and we were trying to be stealthy. There were also two doors, but one was locked, and the other seemed to be barricaded.

Guardian Hathaway and I were both very quiet, and we were hoping that as we listened to the conversation, Ethan, Mr. Mazur and Christian were making their way to their spot. It was their job to basically be the backup, and with Christian's fire abilities, it proved useful in fighting the Strigoi.

Lissa and Pavel were on technical duty. It was their job to connect the mics and if anything was wrong, they were in charge of fixing it with the equipment we had...borrowed from the Security Guards. They had also managed to hack in to the ancient security system which I thought was pretty easy, as this place seemed older than the Queen.

However, as soon as we heard someone, Dimitri's father I presumed, say "Kill him", and we heard another voice that was not Dimitri's say, "With pleasure."

Janine and I looked at each other for a split second and we jumped up. Over the mic, we heard grunts and some muffled punch sounds. "Shit. How many are there?" I muttered as we ran to the door, with the bobby pins to pick the lock. Janine was fast to work, and I took my stake out, ready for action.

"There are two Strigoi. He's fighting two Strigoi! Hurry up guys!" Lissa's frantic voice came over the mic and over the sounds of the fight. This was Belikov we were talking about - the man was a GOD! I didn't doubt his ability to take on two Strigoi, but we didn't know if there were only two, and we needed to help him.

When we got the door opened, we immediately swung it open, and we scanned the area.

"Clear." I told Janine and we went further inside. It was considerably dark, and we hadn't noticed that the fighting noises stopped. We could only hear a distant clapping sound.

"He took them down - Dimitri's okay." Lissa's relieved voice came over the speaker. "Wait. He's confronting the other Strigoi -"

Over Dimitri's mic, we heard him demand, "Where is Rose?"

"Guys, the door you're going to go in leads to a room with five Strigoi. You should call for back up because this place is swarming with them." Lissa advised and Janine and I looked at each other. Knowing what we had to do, she nodded at me. I took out the walkie talkie and held down the button before saying, "Guardian Anderson. Mazur. Chris, we need backup. This place is swarming with Strigoi. The back door is open, and the doors inside aren't locked. Come in when I give you the signal, and get ready - weapons blazing - bloody murder." I ended the call and I heard Christian's voice come in.

"Let's make these mother fuckers pay for stealing our annoying-ass mother fucker."

After hearing Abe's growl and his rebuking, I had to stifle a laugh, mainly because Janine was not looking to pleased at Christian calling her daughter an 'annoying-ass mother fucker.'

"Okay.." Janine muttered under her breath as we crept up to the door.

"Ready?" She asked, looking at me as she raised her hand to the doorknob.

"Ready."

She opened the door.

 **[….]**

 **LPOV**

 **"WHO IS** that?" I asked Pavel, squinting my eyes to get a better look at the figure that had entered the room. I couldn't see anything that clearly, as the cameras in there were quite old an it was covered with pixels and the images were unclear. Whoever the figure was, I was almost certain it was a Strigoi, and female, as she was quite tall, slim but had the body of a female Moroi.

"Switch to camera three to see if the image is clearer." Pavel advised and I nodded before doing it. It was a closer angle, and I could see that Dimitri was stunned to see this person, indicating that he may have known her.

I tried to see if I could zoom in closer, but it wouldn't let me. "Is there audio on this thing?" I muttered and Pavel reached down under his seat and pulled out the box we had brought the computer and other equipment in. He opened it and took out two wireless ear buds. "Let me see the laptop?" he asked and I set it on his lap. He connected the earbuds to the computer using the bluetooth and I watched intently.

"There," He said, handing me an earpiece. "Put it on," I did and so did he. We were now able to listen in on what was happening.

"-When did you become Strigoi?" I heard a voice that sounded like Dimitri's ask. He sounded a bit hurt and I frowned, wondering who this was. Then it hit me.

Adrian had told us that Rose told him that Tasha had become a Strigoi. What if the figure was her? My heart began to speed up and I hoped that Christian didn't have to see his aunt like this.

"Not so long ago, Dimka." So it was true. It was Tasha. She had always called him 'Dimka' and it sounded like her, just more cold and calculating. "Do you know who that is?" Pavel asked, a bit hesitant. I swallowed, "Yes.." I paused, looking down. "It's Christian's aunt. Her and Dimitri are, or were close childhood friends."

When I looked back up, his eyes widened and he looked back at the laptop. "Do you think... Do you think Belikov will kill her?"

I felt pained. My heart ached for Christian and Dimitri, but I couldn't imagine how Christian would feel if he saw her. She was all he had when his parents had turned, and even though I loved him and he had friends who would always be there for him, I knew that this would hit him hard.

"If he doesn't, someone else will." I answered after a while and I sighed before looking back at the camera.

"Let's check on Castile and Hathaway," he said and changed the camera to where Eddie and Guardian Hathaway were. They were fighting off two Strigoi in a room that was only 2 away from the one Rose was in. They had bodies piled around them and within seconds, the last two were down.

"Did they call Christian and the others already?" I asked, pleased that they took down like, ten Strigoi already.

"Yes, see?" he said before switching to a room where I believed it was Christian, Ethan, and Mr. Mazur were in. They were only one room behind Janine and Eddie.

Using the walkie talkie, I made sure to send the message to Janine and Eddie that they would have a better chance of survival if they teamed up to take down the many, many Strigoi in the two rooms to come. Seriously, this was a barber shop, but it had more rooms than a Haunted house!

"Eddie, Janine!" I spoke into the walkie talkie, and not long later, Janine's voice responded. "We're here, Princess. What is it?" She sounded tired, but her voice still held every bit of the badass Guardian Hathaway she was known for.

"In two rooms, you're going to find Rose. However, in the two rooms after that, Dimitri, Randall and Tasha are there. Christian and his team are one room behind you. Do not let Christian see Tasha. Eddie, you need to find another way to get to Rose, and help her."

Silence. "Got it. Eddie went back to where the rest are. Christian, Eddie and Ethan will get to Rose and take her to you. I'll go with Abe to handle Randall." She bit Randall's name out with contempt and disgust.

"Okay, be careful."

"Always, Princess."

Then the silence returned as we continued to watch the security cameras, and I silently prayed to God that this would work.

 **[….]**

 **RPOV**

 **THERE WAS** definitely someone here. When we had started, there were like, eight Strigoi here in my room alone, along with Aleksei and Lemuel. One by one, they had each gone to check out what was going on and why the other Strigoi were not coming back, and they didn't come back, either.

I was hoping that it was Dimitri and the others, but a part of me was hoping that it wasn't them so they wouldn't be in danger. There were a lot of Strigoi just in this room alone, and much more throughout the entire building. I knew for a fact that this wasn't just any barber shop, but it had been used as a barber school as well, and because of that, it was a very large building.

So here I sat, in this chair, surrounded by these monsters and I couldn't do anything about it. My suspicions were confirmed when one of the Strigoi came behind my chair and bent down to my ear, making me shudder and want to recoil. "Listen and listen well. I have orders to release you, but don't think for _one second_ that if you make any move that we find a threat, that I will hesitate to kill you. You are not going to make a single sound and you're going to come with me like a good little blood whore." He hissed and I wanted so bad to just kill the stupid son of a bitch. "Do you understand?"

 _Make him think you're not a threat, Rose._

I put on my most innocent and helpless face possible and I nodded, as I had duck tape covering my mouth.

He smiled, making me want to just cringe. Take a breath mint, dude.

"Good." And then he untied me. Jerking me up to my feet rather harshly, he threw me forward and I fell on the ground. _That's it. Helpless and weak_.

"Get up. Get up, you stupid blood whore." He ordered and I suppressed the urge to cuss him out and murder him. Clenching my jaw, I stood up and turned to face him, ignoring the other Strigoi who were laughing. I grunted and he chuckled darkly. "Now move. Go through the side door. And stay quiet!"

I started making my way toward the door, waiting for my true chance to attack. There was no way I was going to let this guy just take me captive. Not again. If they had orders to keep me hidden and take me away, someone must be here who was a threat, and I hoped and prayed that it was someone who would find favor in me.

When the Strigoi was right in back of me, I saw my chance. Mustering all my strength, I pulled my arm back and elbowed him in the jaw. It didn't faze him, but he stumbled back in surprise and that caused the other Strigoi to become on guard and the Strigoi who I had elbowed rubbed his jaw and smiled evilly, but his eyes were blazing with fury.

"Is that all you got?" He spat.

"Come at me again and find out." I challenged and he growled lowly.

By this time, things weren't looking so good. In fact, I was pretty sure I was going to die, but Rose Hathaway does not go down without a fight. I'll be damned before I just gave up and submitted into defeat.

The Strigoi enclosed me, causing me to back up against the wall. The numbers were overwhelming, and there was no space to make a run for it; though I doubted I would get very far until I got slammed into the wall. However, I knew that it was now or never. The probability of me surviving this was quite low - and while Math had never been my expertise; combat was. I was trained basically my entire life for this, and in a way, I was grateful I didn't have a Moroi with me to protect. It was just me. Me and these five evil red-eyed monsters. And without a silver stake or something to behead them with, all I had was my training. So no, this wasn't exactly the best situation to be in, and alone, but I had to try and save myself, right?

Some of the Strigoi were taunting me, trying to play mind games and get to me so I would just give up. Well, I was Rose fucking Hathaway; I don't just 'give up.' And if I died, I would die trying.

"Alright." I muttered, taking my battle position, "Let's dance." Just then, a male Strigoi lunged for me.

Yet, much to my absolute shock, before the Strigoi could actually make contact with me, a body slammed into that of the Strigoi's, and both fell to the ground and in seconds, my savior's stake was in the Strigoi's heart. I was momentarily stunned, trying to see who the person was, but I quickly snapped out of it and focused on the other Strigoi, who were angered by the sudden death of the first one. The person - man, I now realized - who had basically saved my life was no stranger. In fact, I was surprised I didn't recognize him the instant I saw his body collide with the Strigoi's. Yet, we had no time to actually address each other, and he handed me a silver stake, which I took in a small daze after seeing someone I hadn't in some time. I dragged my eyes away from his face just in time to react to the angry and bloodthirsty Strigoi that sprang towards us.

"Nice to see you too." I grunted before, as if by instinct, we went into a back-to-back position.

In a mere second, more Strigoi lunged for us and we begun our deadly dance. My injuries had weakened me, and my fighting wasn't at its strongest, but I had managed to take down two of my opponents. My friend was too busy fighting off his own, but when I was taken down by a Strigoi who slammed his body into mine, we hit the floor hard. It caused me to lose my grip on my stake and it slid across the floor. The Strigoi was snarling and trying to get his fangs into my neck, all the while I was trying to push him off of me.

My hands gripped his shoulders and I held him as far back as I could. "Eddie! I need you!" I called out to him and his eyes widened when he saw what was happening. "Rose!"

He worked harder to finish off the two Strigoi he was fighting, but they were relentless and wouldn't let him near me.

"No, let me help her!" cried another voice. Lemuel, I realized and out of the corner of my eye, I could see Aleksei was holding him back and he dragged Lemuel away into another room. _Stupid mother fucker._

 _Looks like you're on your own, Hathaway,_ I told myself but before I could do anything, the door swung open and I heard another shout of "ROSE!"

In a heartbeat, a blinding light came hurdling at us and the Strigoi was off of me, and on the floor, on fire. I looked at him as he shrieked as the fire engulfed his body. I was sitting so close to him that I felt like the fire was burning me too.

"Rose, get away from there!" I heard a familiar voice shout and I felt a pair of strong arms pull me away from the ashes of what had been a Strigoi. Whoever it was spun me around and cupped my face in his hands. My eyes then met a pair of concerned ocean blue ones. "Rose, are you okay?" He asked, his worry evident in his voice.

He looked so familiar, but my mind was so overworked and exhausted that all I wanted to do was just lie down and sleep for a long time. However, I found myself racking my brain for any sort of connection to those beautiful ocean blue eyes, and I found it. And a name.

"Ethan?"

He almost sagged in relief and before I knew it, I was in his arms as he stroked my hair and murmured sweet nothings in French, the only one I recognized was his old nickname for me _: tresor._

"We hate to break this up but," Another voice interrupted, "We need to get Rose out of here." I recognized the voice as that of Christian. What? Who else was here?

That's when I remembered something else. Wiggling out of Ethan's embrace, I stood up to my feet and strode over to Christian. "You!" I pointed a finger at him accusingly. "You almost set me on fire!" His mouth made a soft 'o.'

"But I didn't and hey! If it weren't for my fast thinking, you would've been dead right now!" He defended himself, and while I knew he was right, I wasn't going to admit that, obviously. "Well be more careful next time." I grumbled and he smiled fondly. "I missed you, Rosie."

My eyes widened. Did he just..? "Did you just admit that you missed me?" I asked, stunned and he rolled his eyes. "Don't get used to it. But let's go. Lissa's waiting in the car."

"Lissa?!" I spluttered, "You brought Lissa? To a place full of Strigoi?!"

"She insisted on coming," Eddie defended as we walked to the back door. "And she's with Pavel."

"Pavel? My dad's guardian?" I looked to Ethan, "Is my dad here?"

Ethan nodded before Eddie opened the door, revealing the great outdoors. They all walked outside without a problem, but I hesitated at the door frame, simply taking in the view. It wasn't too sunny, and the air felt amazing to breathe in. I hadn't been outside for God knows how long, and being back out and free was euphoric.

"Come on, Rose," Eddie called when he saw I hadn't come out yet. I looked at him, and he got it. Understanding filled his eyes and he walked back to me. "It's okay, Rose. You're not there anymore. Now let's go before Lissa comes and rips my head off for making her wait." He smiled and I nodded with a smile of my own and we walked to the rear corner where a black SUV was parked.

When we got to the side door, Eddie opened it and I was attacked by a hug fit to crush a bear. "ROSE!" cried Lissa and she held on to me, sobbing. "Liss, it's okay. I missed you too," I murmured, fighting off tears of my own. Mostly because I had missed Lissa so much, but also because I was very weak and my body hurt from all the beatings I had gotten.

"Lissa, let go of her," Came Christian's voice, soft but firm. "She's weak."

With that realization, Lissa let go of me with a start and she looked at me, and her tear filled eyes widened. "You're hurt.." She whispered and I forced a smile. "It's nothing I can't handle, Liss. I'm tough."

"Get inside." She ordered and scooted over, making room for me. I climbed in and winced at a pain in my stomach. I sat down and closed my eyes. I then felt Lissa's hand on mine, and that's when I felt the flush of cold and hot. The magic. In a matter of seconds, I felt completely fine and my eyes widened as I looked at her. "Lissa!"

"I'm sorry, Rose. I hate seeing you hurt. I stopped taking the meds so that I could heal you when the time came."

I sighed, "Thank you but I don't like that you're risking going insane just to heal me."

She shrugged, "That's what friends are for, right?"

I gave her a look and that's when I noticed Pavel. "Hey, long time no see."

He smiled softly at me, "Hello Miss Hathaway."

"I told you, just call me Rose. Hey, where did the guys go?" I noticed they were gone.

Lissa frowned and she looked at the laptop on Pavel's lap. "Oh my gosh.."

"What?" I asked, suddenly very worried.

"They went to go help Dimitri. There's a bunch of Strigoi there.. Including Tasha."

My eyes widened in realization. "Chris.." I whispered under my breath. "Oh shit!" I cussed and opened the sliding door and grabbed my stake.

"Rose, where are you going?" Lissa asked, grabbing my forearm.

"I'm going to help them, Lissa. They need me. Pavel, watch her." I ordered and Lissa cried out her objection but I already closed the sliding door.

Okay, time to kick some more ass.

 **[….]**

 **DPOV**

 **A LOT** had happened since I had seen Tasha in her Strigoi state. One of those things being that Eddie and Janine had taken down a lot of Strigoi, and I realized the true intentions Randall had in taking Rose. Tasha had also helped in hopes that I would join her as a Strigoi and we would be a couple.

I hadn't been able to be with her when she was a Moroi, so what made her think I'd want to be with her as a Strigoi. Either way, the fact that she had teamed up with Randall to kidnap Rose just to get to me was unnerving to me. Tasha had been my friend since my early years, and when my best friend Ivan died, I had pushed everyone away from me. My family and the other very few friends I had, but Tasha wasn't having it.

Tasha had just pushed back and didn't allow me to lose myself in my grief. She had always been an important person to me, and it made my heart ache as to what she had become. I had already subconsciously been aware of the fact she was a Strigoi, but seeing her.. Seeing what she had become and seeing how desperate she was to get rid of the woman I loved made me want to do nothing more than stake her and get rid of her as a threat for Rose, but there was something in me that wouldn't let me do it.

I guess it was the attachment I had to the Moroi Tasha, but this wasn't my friend. This was an evil, soulless monster who would keep doing wrong if she was released into the world.

I had a pretty good confidence that I would've been able to take Tasha and Randall, but I couldn't fight them yet. I had to keep them talking, so Randall's large ego worked in my favor. I had to keep them talking long enough for the others to get Rose to safety, and when that was accomplished, I'd take down Randall and Tasha and we'd leave.

However, our plan was foiled when Randall went to the other room to check on Rose, and saw that all of the Strigoi he had in there were dead, and Rose was gone. That made him go ballistic.

"WHERE IS SHE?" Randall boomed from the other room and if I wasn't mistaken, Tasha jumped in fear. Randall strode back into our room, his body radiating fury. I couldn't help the smirk that plastered on my face, and I internally sagged in relief. _She's okay, Roza is safe._

I wanted nothing more than to go to her and tuck her away in my arms forever, but I had to deal with the two Strigoi here _. That's it. They're Strigoi. Tasha is a Strigoi, not your friend._

"You wanted me, remember? Rose is long gone and safe." I said and Randall growled, "Did you think it'd be that easy?"

I shrugged, "I don't care anymore. Rose is safe, and you no longer have anything to hold over me." Tasha didn't seem too happy with that answer. "What does she have that I don't?" She hissed and I cocked an eyebrow.

 _A soul, for starters,_ I thought bitterly _. And my heart_

Before I could say anything else, Randall's voice sent another tremor in the air, "ALEKSEI! LEMUEL!"

Within seconds, two men came in through the door. They both seemed to be in their early twenties, and their lack of pale white skin and red eyes, along with how they bowed their heads reverently in front of Randall led me to believe they were human servants.

"Go call the reinforcements." Randall muttered to them, just loud enough for me to hear. Reinforcements?

The two immediately left the room and after about a minute of dead silence, they came back. With what seemed like an army of Strigoi. Randall muttered something to them that I didn't catch, and they left the room.

I felt my heart thunder in my chest at the numbers. There were at least fifteen to twenty. How had we missed them? How had they just stayed in a room? How big was this building?

All the Strigoi eyed me, eyes hungry and they looked just about ready to attack. You have got to be kidding me.

I took my stake back out and put on my bravest face. Okay, Belikov. This is it. Just get through these Strigoi and get back to Rose. Rose. If I had to find a reason to fight and try my damned best to survive this, it would be Rose. And I definitely would not waste any time.

"You should've taken my offer when you had the chance," Randall said, arms crossing over his chest. "Now, I have no choice but to finish you off. Sorry, Dimka."

Yet, before Randall could utter another word, the door busted open, and every head in the room snapped to the door. Much to my shock, there stood Eddie, Janine, Ethan, and Christian.

Out of the many things I was feeling, I felt a bit wary of Christian being here. I hadn't wanted him to see Tasha in her current state, and I looked to the back to see if Tasha was still there, but she was gone. I wanted to go see where she had gone, but Randall's voice once again interrupted. "Are you guys here to watch Dimka get killed? Well, I'm sad to say that you're going to have to die along with him, you see."

Christian came to my side and muttered lowly, "Where did all these Strigoi come from?"

"Randall brought them out. Where's Rose?"

"She's safe with Lissa and Pavel." Came Eddie's voice as she went to the other side and I nodded. "Are you guys sure you're ready to do this?" I asked wearily and Eddie shrugged, "Taking on impossible missions are our specialty. Now let's show these Strigoi what happens when you mess with one of us."

"I hate to interrupt but we have to get this over with. I'm getting quite bored." Randall mocked a yawn. "Strigoi, kill them."

The others barely had time to draw their weapons before the Strigoi charged us. Christian did not hesitate to begin using his magic and lit about four Strigoi on fire as they came. I found myself facing a female Strigoi, who was a lot shorter than me, as most of them were, but her small body was packed with strength. She was also very quick but not quick enough. I was able to throw her off when she threw a rather lazy punch and I grabbed her arm, using my weight to pin her down and wasted no time in staking her.

In a millisecond I was back on my feet and went to fight more opponents.

I had managed to take down quite a large number of Strigoi but after I had finished a kill, I felt another body slam into mine, taking me down to the floor and causing me to lose hold of my stake. It was a male Strigoi, who was very strong. The scene reminded me too much of the attack on the Academy, when we had gone and infiltrated the caves where the Strigoi were. It was that moment of weakness that had caused me to lose everything, and I was not about to let that happen again.

As I tried to fight the Strigoi off, another one joined him and now I was fighting off two of them. From the corner of my eye, however, I could see that Janine was not fighting any of the monsters, so I didn't hesitate to call her over. "Hathaway!" I shouted with a grunt as I felt one of the Strigoi slash my side with their claw-like nails.

Then in a split second, the Strigoi were off of me, and I was able to stand. A body had smashed into them and now the three bodies were on the floor. However, the person who had slammed into the Strigoi did not have Janine's fiery red hair. It was very evident, though, that she was a woman. Not long after her stake was in one of the Strigoi's heart and she didn't hesitate to get up, counter kick the other Strigoi and stake that one, too.

I then realized who it was, just by the way she moved. She made killing the Strigoi look so easy and graceful, and I was mesmerized by the way her body moved. Her speed and agility and the moves that I had taught her revealed who she was even before I saw her beautiful face. After she staked the second Strigoi, she grunted what sounded like a curse word and turned around, and my eyes met a pair of oh so familiar brown ones I hadn't seen in a long time, yet looking into their depths and her mere presence made me feel at home, even when we were in a room with soulless, evil monsters.

"Hey, comrade. Long time no see."

 **[….]**

 **A/N: Finally! They see each other! Ah, this was such a hectic chapter to write! And a LONG one too! Don't kill me for the cliffhanger! I know, I'm evil for ending with cliffhangers all the time, but I love chu all ! Next chapter will definitely be eventful and I just ask that you remain patient me until it's released!**

 **Thank you sooo much for reading and leave your reviews, please! (:**

 **What did you think? Let me know!**

 **Xoxo,**

 **||RozaBelikov1996||**


	17. Chapter 17: The Look In Those Eyes

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own the world of VA or any of the recognizable characters. I just own THIS fanfic's plot. All other credit goes to the lovely Richelle Mead**.

 **This is a bit of a sad, angsty chapter, but please read it still and review your thoughts at the end! Also, thank you so much for the lovely reviews last chapter!**

 **Chapter 17: The Look In Those Eyes**

 **~X~**

 **DPOV**

 **"HEY COMRADE.** " Long time no see."

I stood there, dumbfounded. She was right here. Roza. _My_ Roza. She didn't seemed injured, at all, and she was just as powerful and radiant than she was the last time I saw her – if not more. She didn't look like she had been taken captive by Strigoi at all. I figured Lissa had healed her when Rose was taken to her, and it was convenient, because Rose was just the same badass Guardian I remembered her as.

"Roza," I breathed, and she smirked, her eyes shining with recognition, fondness, sadness, regret, then what I could only hope was love. She opened her mouth to say something, but her eyes went to look behind me. "Dimitri, watch out!" she cried and instantly I spun around to be caught off guard by a Strigoi which backhanded me. I grunted at the hit, and I heard some other grunts behind me that I assumed to be Rose fighting off another Strigoi.

However, I didn't miss a beat and quickly fought back and soon, my stake was in the Strigoi's heart.

I cursed myself for getting distracted when we had to fight these monsters off, and as I turned around to check on Rose, the look in her eyes revealed she felt the same and she went off to go fight off other Strigoi, silently promising to return to the conversation later. That was all the more motivation to keep fighting.

I didn't miss the shocked looks from the others as they saw Rose going to help, and it proved very helpful, as not too long later, all the Strigoi we had been fighting were dead, on the floor. The only ones that remained were Randall, who was in the far corner of the room, his eyes fixed on Roza in a way I most definitely didn't approve of, and Tasha, who was nowhere to be seen.

"Rose!" cried Janine, not letting the concern for her daughter be kept inside longer. Rose turned around to look at her mother and her eyes widened slightly. "Mom?" She whispered, just loud enough for us to hear and within seconds, she was in Janine's arms, and while Janine was very much shorter than her, Rose's head was resting on her chest. The moment tugged at my heart, and I hated to cut in, but we needed to get out of here.

"I really do hate to interupt," I said, "But we really need to get going."

Rose pulled away from her mother but before we could go, Randall's stopped us. "Not so fast." He growled, and Rose narrowed her eyes at him. "Fuck off Randall," she hissed and drew her stake once again. Christian, Eddie and Ethan came and stood behind Rose, but Ethan was standing far too close for my liking. I resisted the urge to wrap Rose in my arms and hold her closer to me, but I reminded myself that we had bigger things to worry about.

Randall didn't seem too happy with what Rose had told him, and he took a few menacing steps towards her, and if looks could kill, Rose would be dead by now. Seeing what Randall was doing, I immediately shoved Rose behind me protectively, using my body to shield hers. I ignored the looks I got from the others, and I focused my eyes on Randall, making sure to put every ounce of hate and resentment I had towards him in my icy glare.

"You're not going to touch her," I growled menacingly and I saw the hint of fear that pricked in Randall's eyes. I heard Rose's breath hitch behind me and Randall regained his composure. "I don't have to," he shrugged simply. Before I could ponder the meaning of his words, it was like a gust of wind 'whooshed' behind me and I heard a struggled shriek. Instantly, I turned around, and Rose was gone. Everyone looked stunned and my heart dropped as I scanned the room behind me, but saw nothing. Where was she? What happened?!

Then, there was a thud and I turned around. To my absolute horror, a male Strigoi had his disgusting hand _around Rose's neck_ and was pinning her to the wall. I heard a collection of sharp intakes of breath, and my own stopped. My world stopped, and my heart sunk deeper than ever before to a pit in my stomach. Rose being Rose fought against him, but he was having none of it and pulled her forward by her neck and slammed her head back into the wall, sickeningly hard and roughly. I felt my breath get stuck in my throat and my heart pound mercilessly in my chest as her eyes widened and screwed shut.

"RANDALL!" I roared and strode toward him, ready to beat him senselessly and kill the him. I saw red and was out for the dark, reanimated life of the monster. However, he stopped me dead in my tracks with his following words. "If you come any closer, Dimka, she dies."

I forced myself to stand still, but my muscles were locked and I was breathing very heavily. I glared at Randall, and I could hear the faint yells and protests from those behind me, but I had tuned out. I wanted nothing more than to rip his throat out, both him and the Strigoi who had my Roza, and torture them before I left them out in the sun to burn and I would enjoy it. No one, and I meant no one, harmed the woman I loved and got away with it.

I could hear the faint whisper of Eddie's voice, telling Christian to go see if Abe had returned with the Guardians. However, Randall heard him too and shook his head. "No, no, no. You cannot possibly leave. Especially not without the Dragomir Princess.." He trailed off, leaving a chill in the air. The mention of Christian freeze, but he snapped out of it and walked closer to where I was. I could see his body was tense and he was on guard, but I was confused.

Wasn't Lissa with Abe's guardian in the car? Before I could think anything else on the matter, Christian's voice interrupted my thoughts, "What are you talking about?" He near growled and I could see that Eddie told him to keep his cool. Another cool, evil smirk plastered on Randall's face and the door that led to the other room opened slowly, making a creepy creaking sound that left the suspense in the air.

Then, Tasha came in, pulling a very panicked and frightened Lissa behind her by her platinum blonde hair. Lissa fought against her, but to no avail as Tasha yanked her hair, causing the her to cry out at the pain, and collective gasps filled the air. Christian's eyes widened and he had a torn look on his face. I then realized why, and I turned to look at Eddie. "Take Christian to the car," I ordered and just as Eddie was about to pull Christian away, Christian jerked away from him and returned his eyes back to Tasha and Lissa.

"A..Aunt Tasha?! How.." His voice trailed off and I felt pained for him. I couldn't imagine what he was going through, but we needed to rescue Lissa and Rose. "DON'T HURT HER!" He almost cried out and as he was going to charge towards them, Janine reached out and held him back. "No! Let me go!" he fought against her, but he didn't stand a chance against the trained, lethal guardian.

Tasha's eyes simply were cold and calculating as she studied Christian, and she looked back to Lissa, whose eyes were tearing up and her frail body was trembling with fear, a smile more evil than her eyes took place and in an instant, she did the same to Lissa as the other Strigoi had done to Rose, and Lissa was slammed against the wall, though not hard enough to make her pass out. This only made Lissa cry out and Christian fight against Janine even more, yelling at her to let him save Lissa.

"We have to save her, Belikov.. She's a Moroi and a Royal.. We'll be dead if she dies." Eddie muttered lowly to me and I stared at him, incredulously. Yes, Lissa was a Royal Moroi and the last of her line, but he completely left Rose out of it, who to me, was _just as important_ , if not more, than any Royal.

"Dimka," Randall started and I shot him a glare. "Let them go, Randall. Or this time I will kill you, and I will make sure it is slow, torturous, and excruciatingly painful." I threatened, my voice deeper and more intimidating like ever before. I could see Rose struggling to get free, and she gasped out Lissa's name, and being Rose, she was more worried for Lissa.

Despite my warning, Randall continued, "Both of these girls are quite valuable, eh?" He drawled and walked closer to Rose, causing me to force myself to stay in place. "The lovely Rosemarie Hathaway, lethal Dhampir guardian and your lover, huh?" Randall said the last part suggestively, and I felt myself cringe. However, that was nothing compared to the look that Janine shot me. She scowled, "Is that true Belikov? Were you in a relationship with my daughter?" She hissed, still restraining Christian, who had calmed down, but was still on guard.

I shot Janine a look of my own, silently telling her that now was not the time. Though, I was praying that I wouldn't get my ass kicked by the 5'0 Guardian later on. Fuck.

"I don't blame you, Dimka. She is quite the looker.." He looked at Rose in a way that disgusted me and made me want to rip his head off all the more. Keep your self control, Belikov. You can't give him a reason to hurt Rose even more. He then cleared his throat and moved towards Lissa and Tasha, which made Christian tense. "And here we have Princess Vasilisa Dragomir, first of her name. My, my.. If we ended your life right here, we would be quite feared amongst your people.." Randall taunted and every step he took in Lissa's direction made Lissa seem more terrified, Christian's face become more anxious and pained, and made Rose fight harder against the Strigoi.

"Don't you dare touch her you son of a bitch or you'll see what happens." Rose threatened and Randall shot her an amused look before waving her threat away. The Strigoi which held Rose struggled even more to restrain her, but with another slam of her head to the wall, she hissed in pain and it was like a dagger cutting through my heart. I clenched my fists even tighter than ever before, turning my knuckles white and I could see the that Ethan and Eddie were just as tense as me. _Self control, Dimitri.._

"This is where you come in, Dimka." Randall continued, looking back at me. "What are you talking about?" I demanded gruffly and Randall smiled more evil than ever before. "You see, only one of these girls will make it out alive tonight, and the choice is _yours."_

I felt myself freeze as all the blood drained from my face. The others froze, too, and the tension in the air could've been cut with a knife. He was going to make me choose, between Rose and my charge. This had been one of my worst nightmares back at the Academy – being in a situation where I had to choose between the love of my life and the Moroi I had sworn to protect.

But I also swore to protect Roza, too.

Instantly, a voice in my head reminded me of the Guardian mantra that had been drilled into my head since I was a child. The saying that all Dhampir Guardians lived by, _'They come first'._

 _No!_

Every fiber in my being, every single part of me spoke out against that. Roza comes first, she always comes first, another voice fought back and I my heart and soul agreed with it completely.

"So, who is it going to be, Dimka? The Dragomir Princess, or a Dhampir?" Randall questioned further. I looked back and forth from Lissa and Rose.. The look in those eyes.. Both pairs pleading me to choose the other. Had my Guardian instincts taken over, the answer would've been clearer – and to my Guardian self who had been trained to protect and place the Moroi above all things, choosing Lissa seemed like the right thing to do. But if there was anything the past year had shown me, was that there was no time to waste trying to figure out what the right thing to do was; all we could do was follow our hearts and trust that was right.

So, for probably the first time, I decided to let my heart take control, because there was one thing for sure: I couldn't be without Rose. Even if she

would hate me, I would be okay knowing she was safe. And alive. Apologizing to Christian, Lissa and Rose in my mind, I opened my mouth.

But before I could say anything, the front door that was behind us swung open. "Oh for fucks sake!" cursed Tasha but I blatantly ignored her. Yet, the person's voice who came over surprised everyone in the room, especially Randall.

"RANDALL IVASHKOV! How dare you kidnap Rose and hold her hostage? I am going to fucking murder you, Strigoi or not, and trust me, I will make sure you are breathing long enough to see your own body being ripped apart and skinned before being blown up by a shit load of C4 and I will draw out your pain and suffering and make sure you die the filthy, lowlife son of a mother-fucking bitch you are!" boomed Abe Mazur, and Randall's eyes widened, and he truly looked taken aback for a moment.

Behind Mazur were another two guardians, stakes ready. Their eyes scanned the room and widened at the numerous bodies and finally, their eyes flew to the back of the room, where Lissa and Rose were being held by Tasha and the other Strigoi. "Ibrahim? Ibrahim Mazur, my I haven't seen you in almost fifteen years. It truly is a pleasure, though you came in possibly the worst moment." Randall said and Tasha visibly scowled. "This is bullshit! Enough with the interruptions, and let me choke this bitch already!" She snarled and Christian began to fight against Janine again. This time, Janine had been distracted by Abe walking in that she wasn't prepared for Christian to fight against her again and he got free.

It all happened so fast that neither of us had time to react. Christian had charged towards Tasha, with pure determination and protectiveness on his face, but Tasha did react, and released Lissa who fell onto a heap on the floor, gasping, and backhanded her nephew into the side wall, and he fell to the ground as well, unconscious.

"Christian!" Lissa screamed and in her blinding rage at Tasha, attacked her from behind. Tasha was having none of it, though, and pushed Lissa back hard enough, making her slide back and hit the wall. This only triggered Rose more and she fought harder against her Strigoi captor. Tasha then sped off using her Strigoi speed into the other room, and Lissa crawled towards Christian, pleading him to get up.

I hadn't noticed that I was beginning to take steps towards them, until Eddie's hand held back my forearm and stopped me. "No, Belikov."

"Let. Me. The. Fuck. _GO!"_ Rose demanded, fighting harder, infuriating the Strigoi who fought harder back. "I have to help Lissa!" Rose began charging him with a combination of kicks and attempts to push him away, and I could tell she would soon break free. Having to stay put and not help Rose was pure _torture,_ but I knew she could handle herself well, and I trusted her above anything. However, when Tasha came back holding what I could only hope was not a gun, Rose only took that as a higher motivation to break free, and that she did.

Rose pushed the Strigoi off and within seconds she was in front of Lissa and the unconscious Christian. "I'm fucking done with you, bitch." Tasha snarled and pointed the gun at Rose. That was all the motivation I needed and I sprang at her, tackling her to the ground. I saw another figure who jumped before Rose just a split second before I had, and the loud gunshot rang through the air. Tasha and I fell to the ground in a thud and she lost grip of the gun that slid across the floor and I heard an ear piercing scream that sounded a lot like Rose.

Yet, my only goal at the moment was to do something I should've done a long time ago. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Randall and the other Strigoi got taken down by who I could only assume were Janine and Eddie, but my attention was locked on staking one of my former best friends.

 _No. She's a Strigoi, not your friend. A monster who tried to kill Roza._

Tasha and I wrestled on the floor, and while her Strigoi state had given her a higher strength and speed, she was a new Strigoi and didn't know how to use them. She did manage to push me off of her and I was now standing upright. Tasha jumped back on her feet and attacked me once again, but her moves were sloppy, and she knew this, so she tried to get me to falter mentally.

"You're betraying me for that blood whore? We could've been together forever, Dimka. It's not too late to join me." Tasha caught one of my punches midair and stopped to look me straight in my eyes. I froze. Her voice like silk and a monotone, she said, "Join me, Dimitri. We'll be unstoppable. Just you and me."

I felt something in me shift, and while somewhere deep down, I was fighting at the thought, but I began to reason with myself. Maybe it wouldn't be

so bad. I mean, she was one of my closest, most trusted friends. I knew she'd never do anything against me –

Tasha's blood curdling shriek broke the trance I had been in and she nearly fell forward and collapsed on top of me, revealing a very furious, vengeful looking Rose. Her eyes seemed devastated and puffy, like she had been crying, and the sight tore at my heart. Why was she crying? I shook my head from the daze it had recently been in and a new feeling of anger and disgust at both Tasha and myself took place.

Compulsion. She had used compulsion to get me to join her, and I had practically enabled her to do it.

Rose was quick to act and pulled her stake that was sheathed into Tasha's back out and kicked Tasha forward when I moved out of the way. I jumped into action, too, and when Tasha stood back up with nothing but a murderous fury that rivaled the scary one on Rose's face took over, and she leapt at Rose. Yet, Roza didn't miss beat and slashed Tasha's cheek with her stake, causing a howl of pain to erupt from Tasha's lips.

Tasha stumbled back and I caught her by her arms from behind and pinned them back, causing her to thrash and writhe to get free. The way she was positioned, though, caused an opening to her chest, leaving the perfect opportunity for Rose to stake her, but, much to my shock, that didn't happen.

It was like Rose had completely been lost and blinded in her rage that she did everything to hurt Tasha, except stake and kill her. No, Rose slashed her face, legs, shoulders and basically every part that was exposed to her, with nothing but a blood thirsty, vengeful, murderous look on her face that honestly frightened me, but not because I was scared of her, but for her. What had happened that made Rose so adamant on drawing out Tasha's suffering?

In the position of holding Tasha back I was in, I ignored all of Tasha's screams of agony and Rose's expletives and I looked to the other end of the room, where a body laid on the ground, with the others hovering over him. It was Ethan, I realized, and he was laying in a pool of his own blood. I could see Lissa as she attempted to heal him, but everyone else's eyes were on Rose, filled with shock, horror and fear.

I had to do something. I now realized why Rose was like this, but I couldn't allow it to go any further. Not for the sake of Tasha, but that of my poor Roza, who I feared was close to having another episode similar to the one that happened at the Academy, when Jesse had tortured Lissa and Rose had beaten him up after taking the Spirit darkness from Lissa.

"Rose." I said, but to no avail, Rose didn't seem to hear me and continued her savage attack on Tasha, who was now very much dead and close to a full on mutilation. I released Tasha's body, and let it fall on the floor, but Rose didn't seem to care. She simply continued. "Rose." I said, this time louder. Nothing.

I pulled her away from Tasha's body, or whatever was left of it, and that did earn a reaction from her. She began fighting against my hold, but I held on to her tight so she couldn't get out. "Rose, look at me."

"Let me go! I need to finish her!" She screamed and I pulled her closer to me, and tried to get through to her. "Rose, look at me!" I demanded firmly, but tried to keep my voice in check as I didn't want to scare her. This time, she listened and her eyes met mine, and what I saw, or didn't see, rather, broke my heart.

Her eyes, those beautiful brown eyes that I loved so much looked empty. Hollowed. Exhausted. Devastated. The rage that had filled them not ten seconds ago. She simply stared into my own eyes, and my heart tore when hers filled with tears. "Roza.." I murmured, my voice nearly cracking. "D..Dimitri," she whimpered brokenly, then she broke down into big painful sobs. She cried into my chest and I sunk to the ground, pulling her closer to me as I wrapped my arms protectively around her and stroked her beautiful hair, all the while letting her cry into my chest. My poor Roza..

The world around us disappeared and it was just me and her. "I'm so sorry, my Roza. I'll protect you – I won't leave you again. I love you," I whispered in Russian in her ear, along with other soothing words. It absolutely broke me to see her like this. She was so young, and yet, she had been through so much, including witnessing the deaths of two of her friends, and having to avenge them by killing their killers. My Roza was so strong, and she never ceased to amaze me with her strength, bravery and perseverance, but I could tell she had taken enough for now, and I would be strong for both of us, as she had to on many occasions where I couldn't.

Soon after, Rose fell asleep in my arms and while I was overjoyed to have her back in my arms where she belonged, I knew that this would haunt her for a while, but I'd be there for her. I wouldn't leave her alone again. I knew neither of us would be able to handle it.

"Belikov," Came Abe's voice which snapped me back into reality. I looked up at him, but tried not to shift so much as I didn't want to wake Rose from her well deserved rest. He took this as a response, and while his faced showed the grief over losing one of his guardians, he also didn't seemed too pleased that his only daughter was in the arms of her ex-mentor who was seven years older than her, but I didn't care much about that. I loved Rose and I would fight for her. I wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon.

"Get Rose out of here, and go back to Court. Take the Princess, Lord Ozera and Guardian Castile with you. Make sure Christian gets checked out at the infirmary and we'll meet you there. Pavel, the others and I will handle the Alchemists and everything else." He told me and I nodded, before shifting slightly, but ever so carefully not to wake Rose. I managed to stand up, and Rose only let out a small, nearly inaudible murmur of "Comrade" before drifting off again.

I looked down and smiled fondly at Roza and her use of the nickname she hadn't called me in a long time. At first, I hated it and thought it was ridiculous, but over time, I'd grown to love it and be fond of her use of it.

I could feel Mazur eyeing us and he muttered something under his breath in Turkish. "Just take care of my daughter," He warned, now in English and I nodded. "Of course, sir." I promised and he dragged his eyes away and walked back to the others. I looked back at my Roza who was sleeping peacefully in my arms and planted a tender kiss on her forehead before murmuring my love to her once again in Russian, ignoring the glares I got from Janine and Abe.

"Lissa," I called softly and she looked up, her emerald green eyes red and puffy, as she too had been crying. She stood up and walked over to us, tentative and careful not to step or trip over the many Strigoi bodies on the floor. "Is she okay?" Lissa asked, looking at Rose with gentle, caring and guilty eyes. I frowned. "Physically, yes. But emotionally, I'm afraid that she's going to have a tough time moving on from this." I admitted and looked back down sorrowfully at the love of my life. _My poor Roza, if I could take your pain away, I'd do it in a heartbeat._

"She will. She's strong. And we'll be there for her all the way." Lissa said softly, but confidently. I looked back up at her and nodded, "Yes, she is. And I'm never going to hurt her again." I said and Lissa smiled sadly, "You can't promise that, Dimitri."

I frowned, rethinking my words, "Not intentionally, and I'll always be here for her, no matter what happens between us." I vowed. "Make sure you tell her that when she wakes up." Lissa advised.

"How is Christian?" I asked, changing the subject.

"He'll be okay. We're just waiting for him to wake up, but he's fine." Lissa informed, sounding relieved.

I nodded, "That's good. He's a brave young man. Strong as well."

Lissa looked torn, "Yes, he is. But I'm scared of when he finds out what happened with Tasha.. He'll be devastated."

I nodded, agreeing, though my heart felt a pinch. "Today changed a lot of things, and a lot of lives. No matter what happens, we'll be there for him." I promised and Lissa nodded, looking down.

"And… Ethan?" I asked hesitantly, and her face fell once again. "He's gone. He took Tasha's bullet for Rose and died almost instantly. It pierced right through his heart – I couldn't save him." She said regretfully and I frowned. While I hadn't known him well, and he seemed to hate me, I could tell he loved Rose, and it was very clear that he'd do pretty much anything for Rose, and that planted a new thought in my mind.

Did Rose and Ethan have a romantic history together? It was obvious he was in love with her, and she had cared about him considering her reaction to his death. Were they romantically involved? The thought of Rose being with someone else made me feel sick to my stomach, but I rebuked myself for being jealous of a dead person, especially one who died to protect my Rose, and I was eternally grateful for that. I pushed the thoughts away and sighed.

"I can't help but feel like it was my fault, though, that he died." Lissa muttered guiltily and I looked at her, incredulous. "That's ridiculous, Lissa. Like you said – the bullet killed him instantly and there was nothing you could've done to prevent it. It's not your fault," I assured her and she looked down, shrugging. A few moments of silence came until Lissa composed herself, "We should get going. The Alchemists will be here soon to dispose of the.. bodies." She shuddered and I nodded. "Of course. I'll go put Rose in the car." I said and Lissa nodded in response.

I turned around, careful with my actions as I didn't want to wake her, and I slowly, cautiously made my way outside, stepping over the Strigoi bodies and sneering as I passed Randall's. It was surreal to think that this man, this monster who had caused my family and my loved ones, specifically my Roza, so much harm was now gone. He would no longer be a threat.

When I got to the black SUV, Pavel saw us from his front seat and got out immediately. He walked over to us and looked concernedly at Rose. "Is she okay?" He asked, the worry evident in his voice. I nodded, "Just exhausted and a bit shaken up.. Ethan.. Ethan didn't make it." I said regretfully and his eyes widened before he bowed his head sorrowfully. "And.. And she saw? What happened?"

"Tasha, a Strigoi, tried to shoot Rose and he jumped in front of her, taking the bullet. He died instantly." I explained and Pavel let out a humorless chuckle. "That sounds like him. He was so impulsive sometimes, but he was always ready to take a bullet for someone – especially if that someone is Rose."

His words made the previous question regarding a possible romantic involvement between Ethan and Rose pop back into my mind. I couldn't refrain myself from asking it, "Did.. Were Ethan and Rose.. romantically involved?" I asked, feeling a bit embarrassed for asking such a petty question. Pavel raised an eyebrow at me, and my embarrassment grew. "No. From what I observed, Ethan loved her, but Rose only saw him as a friend. She was still not over her first love, she told him when he asked her out." Pavel replied, looking at me pointedly and I couldn't help but feel the smallest prick of jealousy when I had learned Ethan asked Rose out, but I admittedly felt satisfied to know Rose turned him down.

I groaned internally. What was wrong with me? Ethan was dead and here I was, getting jealous of him because I thought he and Rose had been dating for a period of time, when it was because of his brave move that Rose wasn't the one bleeding out right now. The thought pained me and I dismissed it immediately _. You're an idiot, Belikov._

Before Pavel could say anything else, Eddie and Lissa came, supporting Christian on their shoulders. "Princess, allow me!" Pavel offered instantly when he saw the petite Lissa struggling to keep Christian upright. He took her place and she gave him a grateful look before walking to where I stood, carrying Rose. "Let's get out of this place, shall we?" Lissa offered, a bit breathless after helping bring Christian. I nodded, "great idea."

 **[...]**

 **A/N: *Cowers behind my computer* Don't kill me! Please! I just want to tell you guys that I WAS thinking of killing Eddie off, so PLEASE don't be mad at me for killing Ethan off.**

 **Also, I want you guys to know that I wrote two versions of this chapter and the last one was were ROSE actually gets shot, like in Last Sacrifice, but I liked this version better and I went with Ethan getting shot and killed because I thought it was a crucial move for the next chapters.**

 **I know some of you probably wanted Ethan to live so him and Dimitri could fight over Rose, but I thought it'd be useless as Rose already belongs to Dimitri, but even still, they have a long way to go until they're together again, and these things take time. However, just please be patient with Rose, Dimitri and I because the next chapter may take a little longer to publish, because I'm moving into a new house and school starts again soon so I'm going to be very busy, but I'll try to get it out ASAP! Pinky promise!**

 **How was it? And Rose is finally out of there! Tasha and Randall are dead and Tasha died in quite the gruesome way, eh? I didn't want to add too much violence because I'm terrible at writing fight scenes and stuff, but I hope you liked it and our story is almost coming to an end! I was planning maybe 24-30 chapters but I don't know – but all the chapters will be long and eventful so thanks for sticking with me!**

 **Please leave your feedback and review please! I love reading your reviews – they make my day when they're nice! (:**

 **Xoxo,**

 **||RozaBelikov1996||**


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